The Cat That Walked by Herself
by tgwWhale
Summary: After Precia Testarossa's rebellion, it was decreed that all use of magic must come under the control of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, to protect the fabric of space-time. Special Investigators Nanoha and Fate have been tasked with bringing magic-users on many different worlds under this control. But some creatures are never really are tamed or controlled. Like cats...
1. Chapter 1

_At the end of the second set of Nanoha episodes ("A's"), Nanoha and Fate are pictured as young teen-agers. Ii is stated that at that time they are "Special Investigators" of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. This story is set at that time in their lives, so Nanoha is about 14 years old at the time of this story, and Fate has the same level of maturity, although as a magical construct she has not lived as many years._

 _As far as Tokyo Mew Mew is concerned, this story is set the year after the fall of Deep Blue. That would make Ichigo, Mint, and Lettuce about 14 years old also. Zakuro is about 5 years older than Ichigo, Pudding about 5 years younger. Berry is a year younger than Ichigo. Ringo is supposed to be about the same age as Pudding, but is somewhat more mature in her appearance._

 _I will confess that I found the Nanoha anime creepy in several ways. I found all the "loli" stuff to be thoroughly creepy, and much of the fan-service very overdone. I found the Time-Space Administration Bureau to be creepy, too. On the other hand, I liked some of the animation very much, and I liked certain parts of the plot-line, especially in the first year. So I watched it to the end, in spite of the parts I really disliked._

 _And it happened that the creepy Time-Space Administration Bureau decided that all rogue use of magic must be suppressed. And thus the story begins…  
_

* * *

 **The Cat That Walked by Herself**

 **by tgwWhale  
**

 **Chapter 1: Cat-Girls Never Submit**

 _"'I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me." (Rudyard Kipling)_

* * *

Nanoha and Fate swept over the great city that stretched from the mountain foothills to the west to the sparkling ocean to the east. Tokyo was indeed a huge city, and even at flying speed, it took the girls a long time to cross it. Yet they slowly drew closer to their goal, and they began to descend.

"Good to be home again?" Fate said, smiling at her companion.

Nanoha turned to the blonde, and she smiled as well. "Sure," she replied. "Let's get this job done quickly, so I can drop in on the family."

"How long has it been since you saw them?" Fate asked.

"More than six months," Nanoha responded.

"You've grown so much they'll hardly know you," Fate came back. "Filled out so much, too!" She smiled broadly now.

Nanoha smiled back. She indeed looked so much more mature than she had just a few months before, though she still wore her same outfit – a flowing, below-the-knees white dress – when she transformed. She glanced at herself, and smiled once more time, this time to herself: for she clearly filled out her white outfit better than Fate filled out her black pseudo-dominatrix outfit. "Then we'd better get this over with," she said, looking up again.

She looked down at the weapon she carried. "Raising Heart!" she said.

"Yes!" the weapon replied.

"Search mode!" Nanoha commanded. "Detect magical energy, any form."

Indeed, the magical talisman-weapon had many abilities, and searching for magical energy was one of them. And it was less than a minute before Raising Heart responded, "Magical energy detected, form unregistered. In the wooded area ahead." Ahead of the two descending girls was a splotch of greenery that obviously was a park. It stood out clearly amid the built-up concrete expanse of Tokyo and its suburbs.

"Raising Heart!" Nanoha called again. "Detect number of magical sources."

"One magical source remains," the weapon responded immediately. "There were two – one has been destroyed."

"Just one," Fate muttered to her companion. "Shouldn't be hard."

"Yeah, quick and easy," Nanoha came back. "Get it done, get it over, get on out."

Nanoha and Fate, though in appearance only young teen-aged girls, were in fact Special Investigators for the Time-Space Administration Bureau. And the primary mission the Bureau had currently given them was the suppression of rogue magic use. After the horrible results of the rebellion of Precia Testarossa, that most rogue of all magic-users, when the fabric of space-time had so nearly been permanently damaged, it had been decided that all use of magic must be tightly controlled by the Bureau. And so for the last year the Special Investigators had been combing one planet after another, suppressing any rogue use of magic, bringing all magic use under the control of the Bureau – one way or the other.

The two girls were getting lower now, and individual trees and even shrubs were visible to the girls. They slowed, their eyes searching the ground below. "Maybe they'll submit to the Bureau," Fate said. "But on your planet, you never know."

"That's true," Nanoha answered. "But we have to give them a chance."

"Of course," Fate said. "But whether they see reason or not, it's my turn this time."

Nanoha smiled as she chided her companion. "You sure you can handle it?"

"Hey, last time it was your turn," Fate came back, smiling also. "It's my turn to have the fun."

"I'll back you up, just in case," Nanoha said.

Fate nodded. Her beloved Nanoha always backed her up. They always had each other's backs, were always there for each other, now. They were inseparable; so much so that they now slept in the same bed. As she thought of that, Fate wondered if Nanoha's parents would approve, if they stopped for the night…

"There!" Nanoha's voice barked. Fate looked down to where her companion pointed with her weapon. There was a single character, all in pink, with pink hair, standing alone beside a bench in the park.

Fate hated pink, but the pink was not the reason Fate made an ugly face. "Damn!" she muttered. "Cat-girl!" Fate had picked up some bad habits from her original so-called mother, Precia Testarossa, and occasionally displayed something of a potty mouth. Nanoha never indulged in such language herself, but she, too, scowled. For as the two dropped lower, they could clearly see that the creature was indeed a girl, and that she had the black ears and tail of a cat.

Nanoha shrugged. "We've handled cat-girls before, even Alia and Lotte. If we could handle those two, it shouldn't be hard to get this one."

Fate made a face. "But cat-girls never submit. Scrya says that maybe it's the cat in them, I don't know. Alia and Lotte were Graham's familiars, but they didn't submit, even when Graham did. They pretended to, for a while, but then they rebelled." Fate closed her eyes, and hard memories crossed her mind. "We had to destroy them. And Graham was dead, too, before it was over. That was one of our hardest battles, the hardest since the Book of Darkness fights."

"But we won," Nanoha said decisively. "We destroyed them." She looked at her companion closely, and went on: "Hey, if you're not sure you can handle this, I'll take her on."

Something flashed in the blonde's red eyes, something Nanoha was not used to seeing there. "I'm no coward," Fate barked, her jaw set hard. "I'll take this one. It's my turn. You keep high cover up here." For the standard tactic of the two Special Investigators was to have one of them go down to confront their target, while the other stayed high. It was a highly effective tactic, as most magic-users could not fly, nor did their magics have the range to match that of the girls' weapons. Nanoha could stay high, out of range of retaliation, and suppress any attempts at ambush as Fate confronted their target.

"OK," Nanoha responded, a bit uneasily. "I'll stay here, you go down." So she pulled up and hovered there, a couple of hundred meters in the air, while her blonde friend descended toward the cat-girl in pink.

* * *

Fate slowed her flight as she eased in behind the cat-girl. The girl was alert, searching for something. She had recently discharged some form of offensive magic, and so had been detected by Nanoha's weapon. But now she was quiet, her eyes searching into the bushes ahead of her. She was in the open, standing on a path with a grassy lawn surrounding her. But a copse of trees and bushes stood just in front of her, and Fate hoped no others of her kind hid in there and had somehow escaped Nanoha's search.

Fate drew nearer to the earth, halting her descent only a meter or so above the ground, and slowed her approach even more. Her target was less than a hundred meters away, now, and still oblivious to her presence. She was well within range; a single shot from the magical weapon in Fate's hands would certainly destroy the cat-girl. But the standing Rules of Engagement of the Time-Space Administration Bureau required that Fate first confront her and give her the chance to submit. And Fate herself did not like the thought of shooting enemies in the back; that was too much like murder. She preferred a fair, open fight. That was one more way that she was like her beloved Nanoha. They had fought each other more than once, back in the day, when they were young. And they had always fought with honor, openly. And so it would be this time; but Fate's hatred of cat-girls made suppressing the thought of a quick shot in the back a bit harder than usual. Cat-girls were a very common form of magical girl, and they never submitted, ever. Fate had hated them ever since she and Nanoha had fought those terrible battles with Alia and Lotte, and now she hated them more than ever. Her hands gripped her weapon more and more tightly as she approached: seventy meters, fifty…

Suddenly something pink sprang up from the cat-girl and blossomed in the air above her. "Ichigo! Ichigo! Alien! Alien!"

"What? Alien?" the cat-girl screamed, turning about. Her dark eyes, large to begin with, grew huge, and her mouth dropped open as she spied Fate approaching. For a split second those huge eyes darted right and left; searching for other opponents. But seeing none, they settled on Fate.

Then Fate reached her adversary, and settled to the ground. And as she did so, she sized up her opponent. The creature was a young girl, no older than Fate herself. And she was quite pretty; but Fate did not care. Instead, she felt revulsion rise up inside of her. She hated cat-girls and she hated pink. Her own outfit was black: strong, dominating. The cat-girl's strapless mini-dress was pink and ridiculously frilly and effeminate; her hair and even her eyes were pink as well. Fate also noticed that the creature's body filled out that ugly pink outfit better than her own body filled out her black leather top, and she hated that, also.

She set her feet and leveled her weapon at the cat-girl, whose eyes grew even larger as she did so. Then Fate spoke, her voice hard and precise: "Cat-girl! You are under arrest for use of destructive magic contrary to the law!"

The cat-girl's mouth fell open even farther, and her eyes revealed that she was not only frightened, but mystified. "What?" she half-screamed. "Who the hell are you?"

"I will ask the questions!" Fate replied, her voice still level but still hard. "Give your name – who you are – now!"

Once again the cat-girl's eyes glanced around. They did not detect Nanoha, high in the air above them, and they saw no others but Fate. So once again they focused; and now the surprise left them, and they became hard. "I asked first! Who the _hell_ are you? Why are you after me?"

Fate suppressed the angry desire in her heart to answer with a fatal blast from her weapon, Bardiche. She struggled to keep her voice level, and spoke again. "You don't need to know that. But I am Harlaown Fate-o, Special Investigator of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Now: who are you?"

The cat-girl, apparently an abysmally ignorant character, was becoming even more flustered. "The time… uh … space… uh…" She paused for a second. "What in the hell is that?"

Fate, finding herself clearly in charge of the situation, managed to keep her voice level. "You didn't answer my question: Who are you?"

"I… I… am Mew Ichigo," the cat-girl said, stumbling on her words. "And I've never heard of your stupid Bureau, and I have every right to use my magic!"

"Ignorance is no excuse," she said. "The Time-Space Administration Bureau wields power over all use of magic, particularly destructive magic, in order to protect the fabric of space-time…"

"What?" the cat-girl half-shouted, showing anger now. "I don't know what you're talking about! I've done nothing wrong, and I've only used magic to save the freaking world! And I don't know who that Time-Space Whatchamacallit Bureau is, and anyway, they don't run things here, and like I said, I've done nothing wrong, and just let me alone!"

A tiny sigh escaped Fate's lips. Cat-girls never changed, they never submitted. Her voice grew dark. "All magic comes under the authority of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Now submit to that authority, or be destroyed." She thrust her weapon slightly toward the cat-girl to emphasize her point.

"Be… _destroyed?_ For doing nothing wrong? You're crazy!" the girl in pink came back, fully shouting now.

Fate still kept her voice level. "You discharged destructive magic within the last fifteen minutes. That's how we detected you. I assume you claim that you were 'saving the world' in these last 15 minutes?"

"I… I destroyed a leftover Chimera Anima. That's all!" the cat-girl responded.

"I don't know what that is, but I am sure you have no right to destroy it," Fate came back. "You are not allowed to use destructive magic without the permission of the Time-Space…"

"You're damned right I do!" the cat-girl said quite angrily, showing her teeth. She was silent for a second, and then shouted, "Strawberry Bell!" And some strange, heart-shaped thing – strawberry red, rather than pink – appeared in her right hand.

Fate sighed openly now. She had been sure it would come to this: the proud cat-girl would not submit, but would fight – that weird thing in her hand was surely a weapon of sorts. Fate decided to finish it quickly. "Bardiche!" she said.

"Yes, Master," the weapon replied in a foreign language and a foreign-accented voice.

"Shooting mode!" Fate said. And a glowing rune-circle began turning about her feet, while a smaller one began turning around her weapon.

The cat-girl raised her heart-shaped weapon up before her and began dodging to Fate's right as Fate gave the final command: "Shoot!"

A gleaming yellow ray sprang forth from Bardiche and crashed into some kind of defensive barrier generated by the heart-shaped thing, and exploded. The explosion, so close to Fate's eyes, blinded her momentarily; and when she could see again, she saw that the cat-girl was not destroyed yet, but was running, or, rather, limping, fleeing toward the woods. "Bardiche… shoot!" Fate commanded again, but the accursed creature was quick, and dived into the bushes, rolling as she did so, and the explosion burst behind her. Fate ran up, but she could find no body where she had fired. The cat-girl must have fled into the woods; but she would not escape. Fate could fly, and no matter how quickly the creature could run, Fate would be much faster. She leaped up and flew into the copse of trees.

It was quite open in there; most of the bushes were only along the edge of the trees, where they could get some light. Under the tree-canopy the bushes were few and scattered. Fate slowed, then stopped, hovering a few feet above the ground while her eyes searched the area. She could see no enemy. Could the creature have invisibility powers? Fate was sure no cat-girl ever known had such powers. She looked to the right, to the left…

A little scrape above caught her ear, and she began turning to her right and looking up, and began to chant, "Bardi…"

It was too late. Her pink-clad enemy had leaped from a tree above her and crashed fully into her, dragging her to the ground, where Fate hit, hard, with the cat-girl on top. The hateful creature grappled with Fate, and that was not good: Bardiche was an excellent long-range weapon but was far too long to be of value in its current form during a hand-to-hand fight. Fate was well-trained in melee fighting, but the cat-girl was quick and unnaturally strong – it was part of the cat thing, Fate knew. The girl kept hitting, clawing, even biting Fate; and those little cat-fangs drew blood from Fate's arm. Fate was losing the fight and desperation took hold of her. A savage punch struck Fate on the side of her head, stunning her momentarily, and she struggled to hold on to her opponent as they rolled on the ground.

Then the cat-girl began to chant: " _Ribbon… Strawberry…"_

It made no sense to Fate, but the cat-girl's voice gave her an idea, and she began her command: _Bardiche… Dagger mo…"_

But she did not finish the last word before the cat-girl finished her chant: " _Surprise!"_ And from the heart-shaped thing that the cat-girl held against her back there streamed awful power that ripped through Fate's body with flaming destruction. The screaming pain was far worse than anything Fate had ever felt, even under Precia's worst tortures. Fate withered under the blast and the exploding pain. And then, mercifully, the darkness took her.

* * *

 _Author's note: All of the characters named exist in the original Nanoha or Mew Mew animes, mangas. or video games. When I write fanfiction, I assume that the reader is familiar with the original stories and I do not have to introduce the characters. If this has confused any readers, I apologize.  
_


	2. Chapter 2 Flight from the Battle

**Chapter 2**

 **Flight from the Battle**

Mew Ichigo gasped for her breath as she knelt upon the ground. She had rolled off of what was left of her enemy, who lay silent and still, eyes closed, mouth open. Ichigo wondered if she was dead. The girl's back must have been horribly burned; smoke rose from around the edges. The main burn itself would be hidden on the blonde's back, pressed against the ground. Ichigo gasped a few more times as she thought of what might be the right thing to do. She had been in a fight to the death; that had been clear. She had won, and if that blonde girl was still alive, she thought she should finish her off. If she didn't, either she or some other characters from that infernal Bureau would undoubtedly be back after her again. But she didn't like killing. She had destroyed a lot of monsters, but the only person she had ever killed was Deep Blue, if he could truly be called a person. And that was to save the world.

Ichigo stared at the beaten girl and did not like what she saw. Her outfit was awfully kinky-looking for such a young girl, Ichigo thought. It looked like some kind of dominatrix outfit as much as anything, with all the black leather. And the white skirt was so short that it could hardly hide her panties, especially when she was flying around. And then there were those kinky thigh-high black leather boots! Ichigo shook her head. And the girl's face – the red eyes, now closed, and long blond hair reminded her of Mew Berry, although the eyes were darker than Berry's. To put it mildly, Ichigo had little love for Berry, who had displaced her as the leader of the Mew Mews. So Ichigo found that disgusting, also.

But still, she did not want to kill. So to stall for time, to put the horrid thing off, she looked at the girl's weapon. It was long and deadly-looking, and it lay on the ground between the two girls. Its shaft was white with black trim and a large golden-colored crystal orb near one end. Ichigo reached down and grasped the shaft.

"Master?" the thing said.

"What the hell?" Ichigo blurted out.

"I am Bardiche. You defeated the old master, so now, you are the Master." The voice was masculine, with a distinct foreign accent, but Ichigo could not place it.

"What are you?" Ichigo asked. "Are you alive?"

"I am a machine. I am a computer. But you could say I have a certain magical life, I suppose. I am a magical construct," the weapon responded.

"What can you do?" the girl asked.

"I will teach you," the thing answered. "It will take time."

Ichigo thought a bit before her next question. "Can you… make me fly, like her?"

"That is easy," the weapon said.

An excitement took hold of Ichigo's heart. She had many powers as Mew Ichigo, but flying was not one of them, and she really wanted to try that.

But then suddenly her Masha popped up again in the air above her. "Ichigo! Ichigo! Enemy! Enemy!"

And Ichigo listened; and she heard a girl's voice calling: "Fate-o! Fate-o! Where are you? Fate-o! I'm coming!" And the voice was drawing closer.

So there were more of them, as Ichigo had feared. She thought of hiding and attempting an ambush, using the fallen Fate for bait. But she had no idea of how many there might be; and even if there were only one new one, if that new one had as much power as the one she had beaten, Ichigo knew that she very likely might lose the battle. So she took the weapon and hurried off into what few bushes she could find, limping from her wounds but heading away as quickly as she could. After some distance she looked back, peering around some bushes. She saw her blonde enemy, still lying motionless on the ground. Yes, she's probably dead, Ichigo thought again. Then she saw the other girl arrive: orange-red hair, a white dress that extended below her knees, and a long weapon not unlike the one Ichigo had taken from the blonde in her hand. The new girl looked around, but did not see Ichigo hiding behind her bushes. But she did see the blonde girl on the ground, and she flew down beside her. "Fate-o! Fate-o! Fate-o, say something!" Ichigo could hear the voice choking with fear and with tears. She would stop and take care of the beaten one, Ichigo thought. That would give her time to escape. So she turned her back to her enemies and limped away from the scene as quickly as she could.

* * *

Nanoha knelt next to the body of her friend, tears pouring from her eyes. She loved Fate more than she had ever loved anyone, and in so many more ways! "Fate-o! Fate-o! Say something! Please!" she repeated through her tears, over and over. But the blonde girl made no response. She lay still, her mouth open, her face, arms, and legs covered with black marks. Nanoha fell forward, laying her head upon Fate's breast, and wept. It was all her fault, she thought. She should have taken on that accursed cat-girl instead of Fate. She should have been closer during the fight to back up her friend. She should have come more quickly, as soon as Fate's first shot failed to bring down the filthy creature. She had failed the one she loved the most, over and over again. And now she had lost the one she loved.

She wept, barely gasping for air. She knew that there would be revenge. She would hunt down that cat-girl and kill her. There would be no attempt at gaining submission, the next time. To Hades with the Rules of Engagement! To Hades with the whole accursed Bureau! The next time, the cat-girl would die. That was it. But that would not bring her Fate back! Her sobs grew louder, her gasping breaths weaker.

But she was still Nanoha, ever disciplined, ever obedient. Her training came back to her, and she knew that she had to check her friend, to be certain. So she touched her friend's battered neck, just as they had taught her, with one last little shred of hope that she would feel something.

She felt something. It was weak, irregular. But she surely thought she felt a life-beat. She pressed her ear against Fate's breast bone, and listened. Could she hear a heartbeat? She thought she could, a little. But she so wanted to! Was it real?

She didn't care! She had to get Fate home, back to the _Asura!_ Her strength redoubled by her adrenaline rush, she carefully picked up the battered, burned body and started flying upward as fast as she could, the little wings on her boots flapping wildly. When she contacted the ship, they would beam her up; but she had to get up high. She broke though the tree canopy and accelerated upward, flying harder than she ever had before. And as the city began to fall away beneath her, she spoke.

"Raising Heart, contact the _Arura."_

"All right," the staff responded. But there was no response.

So Nanoha kept flying, ever upward, gasping for breath. "Raising Heart, contact the _Asura."_

And this time there was a firm response: _"Asura_ here, Agent Takamachi."

Nanoha kept flying upward as she gasped out her words: "Extreme emergency! Agent down, but with me. Beam us up!" And Nanoha, Fate, and Raising Heart all disappeared as the energy beam took them up.


	3. Chapter 3 Not Safe Yet

The shimmer ended, and Nanoha stepped out of the teleporter, the battered Fate in her arms. She wanted a whole medical staff waiting, but the room before her was empty! It had not occurred to her that riding the energy beam up to the _Asura_ was almost instantaneous, while the medical personnel had to physically run to the teleporter room. And so Nanoha panicked momentarily. Where was everybody? Fate needed them!

Nanoha began running toward the door, carrying her precious burden. Then suddenly the door burst open, and the medical staff came pouring in – at least a dozen of them, it seemed, bringing a gurney with them. They started shouting orders at Nanoha, but she heard nothing, understood nothing; and she did not want to let go of Fate's body. They nearly had to pry Nanoha's arms apart to take the black-clad girl and place her on the gurney. Then quickly, efficiently, they turned about, and rushed back through the door, heading for the medical deck and the operating room. And Nanoha dashed after them, never letting Fate's body out of her sight.

They barred the door to her. She tried to force her way through, for she would not let her precious Fate out of her sight. They held her there, and her eyes grew wild. "Let me through!" she screeched, but they would not release her. She just fought harder. She had to stay with Fate! But they would not let her through.

There was a voice behind her: "Agent Takamachi!" it shouted. But Nanoha did not listen. She had to stay with Fate, had to protect her! "Agent Takamachi!" the voice repeated. But Nanoha hardly heard, and she did not care at all. She kept fighting to get through the medical personnel that held her. But then a strong hand from behind her took her by her shoulder, and the voice shouted: "Agent Takamachi! _Nanoha!_ "

The sound of her given name penetrated somewhat into her wild, screaming mind, and she turned suddenly to the one that had taken her from behind. Her fist was already cocking to strike when she saw the long aqua hair, the green eyes, the blue jacket. The one behind her was Admiral Lindy herself. And Nanoha stopped suddenly, and stared in silence.

The older woman stared into Nanoha's eyes and spoke slowly but strongly. "Calm down, Agent Takamachi!"

Nanoha did not breathe for several seconds, and then her breathing came suddenly, in deep gasps. "I have… I have to stay with Fate-o!" She forced the words out somehow.

The older woman seized Nanoha with both hands, holding her by her upper arms. She shook her head. "Let the medical people take care of her!" she said, in a very hard tone. Then her voice softened. "There's nothing you – or I – can do for her now. Either the doctors will save her, or they won't. You just stay out of their way."

Nanoha still stared with wild eyes for several seconds before she stammered, "But I have to protect Fate-o!"

Admiral Lindy shook her head. "That is done, Agent Takamachi… Nanoha. You have saved her, as far as you can. Now the doctors will do what they can do. Just calm down, and talk to me. OK?"

Nanoha, still panicked, looked from side to side before again looking at the aqua-haired woman. "But… Fate-o…" she mumbled.

"My ward is safe, for now. The doctors will save her." The older woman's voice was now low and soothing. "Let's just go to my office, and sit down, and wait. And you can tell me what happened."

Nanoha remained frozen to the floor, and so the older woman said, quietly, "Nanoha… come." And taking the panicked teenager by the hand, she led her away, through the great ship's corridors, to the Admiral's office.

* * *

Ichigo stumbled through the back door of the Café Mew Mew, still carrying the blonde girl's weapon. She had run, or at least limped, as quickly as she could, all the way back, and now she was completely exhausted. For a few seconds she collapsed against the wall, feeling safer now that she had gotten to the Café. She knew in her head that she was not safe there, either; she was not safe anywhere as long as those Bureau fiends were after her. But her heart felt safer, and so she paused, gasping, letting her racing heart slow down. Sweat dripped from her face and made a small puddle on the floor.

She wanted to find a corner and collapse in it, and just rest for a week or more. But she had to find out what was going on. If anyone would know anything about that Bureau, it would be her boss, Ryou. So she went looking for him. And she found him quickly enough, in the kitchen, snitching some sweet pastries from Keiichiro's hoard for the evening.

"Shirogane!" Ichigo threw out the name between her gasping breaths.

"What now?" the blond man muttered, not raising his eyes.

"Shirogane, look at me!" Ichigo half-screeched.

Ryou heard something in her voice the second time, and turned his face to the cat-girl in pink. He saw her standing there, gasping, still transformed, with her battered face littered with black marks and her pink minidress torn and dirty. There was some kind of long staff in her hand.

After several seconds, he asked, "Ah… what is that thing?"

" _Shirogane!_ I was attacked! Almost killed!" She was fully screeching now.

Ryou Shirogane turned fully away from the plate of pastries and faced the cat-girl. "Attacked? Chimera anima?"

"No!" Ichigo screeched back at him. "It was that… that Bureau or something!"

"That… what?" Ryou questioned her in return, but she said nothing as she stood there gasping. So he continued, "You were attacked by a … _bureau?"_

"Yeah, that Time and Bureau thing, or whatever! They tried to kill me!" Ichigo kept screeching.

Ryou was silent for a second. Then he spoke with a sarcastic tone. "Well, it looks like they didn't." He watched the girl turn several deeper shades of red, and then asked again, "And – really – what is that thing you're holding?"

Ichigo stared at the blond man, ready to explode in her anger. Then, gritting her teeth, she spoke slowly to her sarcastic boss. "This… _thing_ … is a magical weapon of sorts. It's what she tried to kill me with!"

Ryou took a few steps closer to the raging, panicked girl. "So… there was a _she?_ I thought you were attacked by a bureau."

"She was from the stupid bureau!" Ichigo shouted. Then she stood there, once again gasping.

"Well, you must have beaten her, because you got her weapon." Ryou paused for effect. "Right?"

"Well, yes, but I was almost killed, and there's more of them, and they're out to get me!" Ichigo came back wildly.

Ryou shrugged. "What were they like? Monsters?"

"No! Girls, magical girls!" Ichigo answered, her pink eyes still raging. "There was this one girl at first. Young, a blonde, red eyes, kinky black outfit. Looked rather like Berry except she was a lot better-looking."

Ryou's mouth twisted. "Oh, she looked like Berry. No wonder you fought with her!" His twisted mouth formed a smile.

"It isn't funny!" Ichigo gasped. "She came up to me and demanded I surrender to her for using magic without permission, or something, and when I wouldn't, she attacked me with this thing, and almost got me. Then I got into the woods and jumped her, and wrestled her down, and fried the bitch with my strawberry bell, and then there was another and I ran away and…" Her words were pouring out, now.

"Hold it, hold it, _slow down!"_ Ryou demanded. He watched the cat-girl catch herself as her words stopped suddenly. Then Ryou continued, "Ah… was R2000 there for this?"

"Masha?" Ishigo answered. "Yes, sure, he was there, he told me that the alien was attacking me…"

"Then maybe we should download R2000's memory files?' Ryou said; it wasn't really a question. And he led Ichigo into his office, where he could download the robot's memory onto his computer.

* * *

Nanoha watched as Admiral Lindy poured three full teaspoons of sugar into her tea before stirring it. Nanoha wondered how the woman avoided getting fat, with all of the sugar she poured down. She had insisted that Nanoha take tea also, but as a Japanese Nanoha took hers straight, without sugar. Her teacup lay on the admiral's desk before her, but she had no interest in even tasting it. The desk was broad, and made of some kind of glass.

Across the desk from her Admiral Lindy finished a sip of her tea and also placed it on the desk. She looked as she always did: every strand of her long, aqua-colored hair was in place, and not a wrinkle marred her blue uniform coat. For several seconds she stared at Nanoha, and then spoke slowly and with care. "Agent Takamachi, can you describe what happened to my ward?"

Her _ward._ The word made Nanoha cringe. After the disappearance and almost certain death of Precia Testarossa, Admiral Lindy had become the legal guardian of Fate. Fate's surname was now Harlaown, no longer the hateful Testarossa. Still, Nanoha wondered why the Admiral had not legally adopted Fate. Nanoha answered with a question. "Were you monitoring the situation up here, or should I tell you the whole story?"

No emotion marred the older woman's appearance. "We know that you and Agent Harlaown encountered a single magical character. We know that you two separated before confronting the magical character. We know that Agent Harlaown discharged her weapon two times. Then, after a delay of forty-two seconds, there was a large discharge of magical energy of an unknown type, a discharge that closely resembled the one that led to your assignment to capture its author. Then…" For the first time, pain showed in Admiral Lindy's eyes. "Then… Fate-o's magical signature disappeared from the sensor screen. That normally indicates… death."

Nanoha squirmed. Death? Her face fell, and she stared at the floor. "It was a cat-girl, all in pink, pink hair, pink eyes. And she wouldn't submit, cat girls never do…"

"Agent Takamachi!" the Admiral interrupted her. "A cat-girl? Do you mean to tell me that my Fate-o was defeated by a…" Her face twisted in disgust. "… by a _cat-girl?_ "

"I don't know, for sure," Nanoha answered. It was almost literally painful for her to tell the story. "Fate-o attacked her twice with her Bardiche, but the beast had some kind of defensive screen, and the attack did not destroy her. The cat-girl fled into the trees behind her before Fate-o could attack again, so she followed her into the trees, and I lost sight of her. I was coming down by this time, but it took me a little time to find her, and when I did, she was beaten and on the ground. I thought at first she was dead…" Tears began to trickle down Nanoha's cheeks.

"Agent Takamachi," the Admiral interrupted again, "why were you not with Agent Harlaown? Why did you have to 'come down,' as you say?"

Nanoha visibly squirmed now, and her tears were running freely. "Our tactics – the way we approach these encounters. To prevent ambush, we always have one of us stay high as top cover. Many magical creatures cannot fly, and most creatures' magical attacks do not have the long range needed to strike when we're up high. So I stayed up high, and Fate-o went down to confront the creature."

"So you stayed where it was safe, and my Fate-o had to face the danger alone?" Admiral Lindy's teeth showed as she spoke, and anger touched her voice. "To me, that sounds like… cowardice."

Nanoha's blue eyes snapped open wide and her head jerked up to stare at the admiral. "No!" she almost shouted. "We take turns between going down and staying up, and even though it was her turn, I offered to go down in her place! I just should have come down more quickly! As soon as Fate-o didn't destroy the creature with her first shot, I should have come down. But I was too slow... Too slow! And now poor Fate-o…" Her voice choked, and she could say no more words.

"You have made many errors, Agent Takamachi," Admiral Lindy said, her voice harsh and hard. "Many errors, and your errors might have cost Agent Harlaown her life." She stood up suddenly, tall and threatening. "Agent Takamachi, if my Fate-o… _dies…_ I will hold you responsible. Discipline will be severe." She crossed her arms under her large breasts and stared down at Nanoha.

"No! No! I _saved_ her!" Nanoha began.

But the older woman, her voice cold, ignored her words. "Agent Takamachi, you are dismissed!"

"But…" Nanoha gasped.

"Dismissed!" Admiral Lindy growled. And Nonoha squirmed out of her chair, bowed quickly, and left as quickly as she could, her tears trailing behind her.

* * *

Ryou stared at his computer screen for a long time before he spoke. "Well, it looks as if R2000 recorded all of it, even a bit of the other girl that came up after you fled the scene." He scowled. "But I still don't know what's going on. I need to ask: the blonde girl – was she alive or dead when you left her?"

Ichigo bowed her head. "I think that… maybe… she was dead. I didn't check too closely. I didn't want to kill her, so I didn't hit her again to finish her off. Then the other girl came, and I ran."

"I wish R2000 could have caught the end of it," Ryou said. "Then we would know whether the enemy lived or died. And there's one more mystery here. You may not have noticed, but when R2000 called out the first time, over the blonde girl, it said, 'Alien.' The second time, over the red-haired girl, it said, 'Enemy.' Yet both appeared to be human, and neither appeared to be alien. No alien ears or eyes." He stared at his computer screen again.

"Maybe Masha was just in a hurry to warn me," Ichigo offered.

But Ryou shook his head. "You might treat R2000 as a person, but it's a computer, enhanced in certain magical ways. It says exactly what it means, nothing more, nothing less." Once more he stared at the computer screen. "There are some slight differences in the data recorded by R2000, and certain factors regarding the blonde enemy were a little bit off of human readings. It's likely that's why it said 'Alien' the first time."

He was silent for several seconds, and then he spoke slowly. "Well, it seems we have a new enemy, and a quick computer search shows nothing of what this enemy might be." He thought again for a few seconds, and then said, "I'll contact the aliens, that is, the ones we know. I'll ask Pai if they know anything about this enemy."

"Do you think it's them?" Ichigo asked. "Are Kisshu and the gang after us again?"

Ryou shook his head. "I don't think so," he answered. "The magical signatures left by the ones that attacked you today were completely, utterly different from anything that we saw from the Aliens. But maybe they have encountered this Time-Space Administration Bureau, or know something about it." At least after seeing Masha's recorded data, he knew the correct name for their enemy.

Then Ryou pointed to the staff that Ichigo still held. "By the way, I'll need to examine that." He reached for the staff.

"Shirogane, this is mine," Ichigo said firmly. "I won it fair and square."

Ryou shook his head. "I'll still need to examine it." He took it in his hand. There was a crackling sound, and he pulled his hand back with a yelp of pain.

"What the hell…?" he snapped. Ichigo held the thing easily, but apparently Ryou could not touch it.

Then, in its strange, foreign voice, the staff spoke: "You are not the master. You cannot handle me. The other one is the master."

"What the hell…?" Ryou gasped again. "The thing talks?"

Ichigo actually smirked a bit at her boss's pain. "It told me it was a magical construct that has sort of a life of its own," she said. "That was all in Masha's recording. I defeated the old master, so now, I'm the master. And you're not, Shirogane. So there!"

Ryou scowled openly. "Well, when we figure out how, I still will have to examine that thing. And meanwhile, whatever it does, I don't think you should use it, or even carry it. Using it will probably reveal your location to the enemy."

"I suppose…" I chigo came back; but then she said no more.

Ryou stared at her for a long time. "You always had a mind of your own, Ichigo. Maybe it's the cat in you. Or maybe that's why your DNA was a perfect fit for an iriomote wildcat." Ichigo smiled, but said nothing. So Ryou went on, "I'll call the girls together, and fill them in as best as I can. They need to be aware of this, to protect themselves, and to help figure out what's going on." Ichigo nodded, and they left the room, heading for the café proper, where many of the others were working.

* * *

Nanoha paced back and forth in the waiting room outside the surgical suite on the _Asura._ Although medicine had made great advances over the years, there was still need for an old-fashioned waiting space for family members and loved ones to await the outcome of medical procedures. Even in an age of instantaneous communication, people seemed to have a need to be physically as close as possible to their loved ones who were in danger.

And so Nanoha paced back and forth across the small, dimly-lit room, repeatedly checking the time. The minutes passed with infinite slowness for her, and it was more than three hours since her beloved Fate had been taken into surgery. She went over and over in her mind what had happened. It had been all her fault, she knew. Fate was dying – she was sure of it. And she was sure that she could not live without her beloved Fate. When she finally heard the bad news – that her Fate was dead – what would she do? She could not go on, not without Fate. She would take Raising Heart and turn the weapon upon herself. She would give herself the punishment she deserved.

No, she thought. First, she would hunt down and kill that cat-girl. Then she would take her own life. But first, that cat-girl had to die…

She kept pacing, back and forth, over and over.

"Are you trying to wear the floor out, or your shoes?" came a voice that startled her.

Nanoha looked up, and Admiral Lindy stood there. Nanoha was not used to bitter anger, but the bile rose up inside of her, and she wanted to lash out at the one who blamed her for Fate's fall, even if it really was her fault. But she was still Nanoha, and she stifled the angry words inside of her. She just stared in pain and anger at the older woman.

Admiral Lindy shook her head. "Your attitude will need to change, Agent Takamachi," Lindy said in a low voice.

The younger girl muttered something unintelligible, and so the older woman spoke: "Did you say something to me, Agent Takamachi?"

Nanoha nearly exploded in anger, and only with the greatest effort could she restrain the angry words in her heart. For several seconds she simply gasped, and then the words squeaked out as she choked on them. "My attitude? My attitude? Who cares about my attitude? Fate-o is dying, I'm sure of it. Maybe dead already! Dead! Fate-o…" Even Nanoha did not have infinite self-control, and she burst into tears.

Admiral Lindy simply stood there, shaking her head. Perhaps she was musing on how horrible it could be when such young girls had to face violence and even death because they were gifted with such incredible powers. But she said nothing. Perhaps there was nothing she could say.

Suddenly the door opened, and a surgeon came through. She was a short woman, with dark hair pulled up tight and covered with a hairnet. She was soaked with perspiration. Sweat glistened on her forehead and even dripped from her nose. Without a word she walked up to Admiral Lindy.

She was silent for several seconds, and then spoke with a sigh. "She'll… live," she said.

"What?" Nanoha gasped.

The surgeon turned to the young girl for a second, and repeated her words. "She'll live. She nearly died, but she'll live."

Admiral Lindy spoke. "Doctor - her injuries?"

The surgeon turned back to the older woman. "Ah… yes," she said. "She had a severe magic burn on her back, apparently made by contact with a magical object that was circular or maybe heart-shaped. Much skin was destroyed, but that can be regenerated. But there was little physical injury to any internal organs. What almost killed her was one of the worst cases of magic-shock any of us has ever seen. Whatever attacked her had great power. All of her nervous system was basically fried and shut down, and it we had not gotten her to surgery when we did, she likely would have died within a few minutes. Even so, if she had been a normal human, she almost certainly would have died before we got to treat her. But then, Agent Harlaown, as we all know, is not a normal human."

Admiral Lindy nodded silently for a time. "I suppose, since Precia Testarossa created her primarily as a magical weapon, she made her as magic-resistant as she could."

The doctor nodded, but said nothing more; so Admiral Lindy asked, "Permanent damage, or can you fix her?"

A tiny smile touched the doctor's lips. "Fix her? We can fix her burned skin completely. We'll accelerate the healing, and in a week she'll look better than new. If there's any other damage we don't know about – well, we'll have to wait until it appears. But she'll live, and soon will look none the worse for wear; and for now, we'll settle for that."

Admiral Lindy nodded. "And when may we see her?" she asked.

"In about half an hour," the doctor said, "though she may not regain consciousness for several hours. We will send an orderly to get you as soon as you can see her."

"Thank you, doctor," said Admiral Lindy, bowing. The doctor bowed in return, and turned away to hurry through the door. She was clearly exhausted and needed to rest.

And Takamachi Nanoha approached Admiral Lindy. For several seconds she stood silently. Then she burst wildly into tears, and throwing her arms around the older woman, she buried her face in her breast and cried and cried and cried.

* * *

 _Author's note: I don't know if anyone is appreciating this story, but if anyone wants it to continue, a review would be nice. And note: I do not object to negative reviews._


	4. Chapter 4 Steps into the Darkness

**Chapter 4**

 **Steps into the Darkness**

They had hurried toward the dining room, where the others were waiting on the tables; but hurrying had been useless. Ichigo had been in such a rush that she had almost charged into the room still transformed; Ryou had only stopped her at the last second. It surely would have been an embarrassment if she had displayed herself to the Café's patrons in her current state. She had decided long ago that if something like that ever happened, she could pretend that she was going to a costume party. Since the Mew Mews had appeared on the TV news several times during the war with the Aliens, most people in Tokyo were aware of them, and seeing girls dressed as one Mew or the other had become at least a little bit common at costume parties. But it would have been far more difficult to explain Ichigo's wounded face and torn dress.

So Ichigo had given up her transformation and cleaned herself up. Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, and of course Berry were working that day. But Zakuro and Ringo were not, and although Ryou had called them, it might be well over an hour before they could come. And Ryou had decided that they should get all the Mew Mews together before they explained the situation. So the nervous and frightened Ichigo , with nothing else to do, was pacing angrily, back and forth, over and over again, between the dressing room and Ryou's quarters.

The blond man finally confronted her. "Calm down! You're as high-strung and nervous as a cat!"

"Maybe that's because I am one!" Ichigo snapped back. Then she added, "No thanks to you!"

Ryou shook his head. "Well, you're driving me nuts with that crazy pacing!"

The exasperated Ichigo answered between her clenching teeth, "Then what am I supposed to do? There's nothing for me to do until Zakuro comes!" She didn't mention Ringo.

Once again her boss shook his head. "Why don't you go get something to eat? I've heard that this is a café, after all!"

"What? Eat now? Are you nuts?" Ichigo whined. "And anyway, I don't have enough money for the overpriced junk they serve here…"

She stopped suddenly. Shirogane Ryou was holding out some money to her. It was a 5000-yen note.

With wide eyes Ichigo reached out for it. "From you?" she gasped.

Ryou nodded, and began turning away. "After what you went through today, you have it coming. But stay in the building here, just buy some stuff here." Then without another word he went back into his room and closed the door.

Ichigo stared at the hefty bill for only a few seconds. She had called the food there "junk," but the Café Mew Mew was known to serve some of the best pastries in all of Tokyo. And Ichigo had a sweet tooth as sweet as any tooth could be. So she slipped the bill into the pocket of her short gray skirt and headed for the dining room.

Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding were there – and, of course, Berry - and even though Mint was doing nothing more than sitting at a table and sipping her tea, the others did not have a lot to do. It was not a school day, when they got a big crowd right when school ended. On Sundays the numbers were largest around supper time, and that was about an hour off. So Ichigo had plenty of available places to sit.

She had entered from the back. She thought first of sitting with Mint at her chosen table, but she wanted to gobble sweets, not sip tea. And she was too stressed and nervous to put up with the haughty, snobby Mint at that point. Lettuce was serving the tables in the back, where her many accidents would be a little less distracting. Ichigo could sit at a table there, but she really didn't want Lettuce dumping ice cream all over her, and with Lettuce's clumsiness, you never knew. Pudding was at the cash register. She seemed to be there more than any of the others, and when she served as waitress, she would dance from one table to the other, all over the café, a boundless ball of energy that got more work done than anyone else. But Ichigo was too tired and stressed to put up with that endless energy now. So she decided on a table in the front, up where Berry was waiting the tables. Ryou usually wanted Berry more towards the back of the dining room, but the blonde Mew Mew liked to be up front, where everyone could see her. And she was up front again that night.

And Ichigo wanted to make Berry wait on her. Berry was the accidental Mew Mew; she had been accidentally treated with Shirogane's infernal machinery, and had accidentally picked up the DNA of not one, but two red data animals. Like Ichigo, she was part cat; but she was also part rabbit. And that somehow made her better, or something. At least everyone seemed to think so. Ichigo had always been the leader of the Mew Mews, and together they had saved the world from Deep Blue's aliens. But then Ichigo had gone to England as an exchange student, and when she had come home, Berry was there. And all of the other Mew Mews were following Berry, as she led them against the Saint Rose Crusaders. Ichigo had thought that they would follow her lead again. But it was not so; they all wanted Berry.

And that had hurt far more deeply than Ichigo would admit, even to herself. And so she really didn't like Berry. It wasn't that Berry had hurt her or been mean to her. Berry never said anything bad about _anybody._ Berry never did anything wrong, never said anything wrong. She was never late for anything, never messed up, never even broke a dish. And so all of the Mew Mews liked her, and quickly changed their allegiance from Ichigo to the new girl. Of course Mint had been the first, and Ichigo understood that: Mint had always held herself far superior to the disaster-prone Ichigo, but no one, not even Mint, could hold herself superior to the perfection that was Shirayuki Berry. As Mint had always hero-worshiped Zakuro, so now she worshiped Berry. And Lettuce, though lacking Berry's perfection, at least wanted to be perfect, so she accepted Berry quickly also. And Pudding had gone along to get along, Ichigo supposed.

Even Zakuro had switched her allegiance to Berry. Ichigo had always thought Zakuro liked her, and had been sure that the tall idol would stay as her supporter. But after a short time she openly supported Berry as leader. Ichigo had summoned up the courage to question the inscrutable Zakuro about this, and she had simply said that Berry was a better leader because she did not mess up like some others did. Those words had wounded Ichigo deeply, and Zakuro surely knew that; but she had simply turned her back on Ichigo, and followed Berry.

Even Shirogane had his eye on her. Ichigo could see why – she was _so_ pretty, with all that wonderful blonde hair, those huge, bright eyes, that wonderfully trim figure – slimmer than her own, Ichigo thought bitterly. And she was so graceful in her movements, and her smile was so warm and bright, and she was never moody, ever. Shirogane had long had an eye on Ichigo, and there used to be so many sparks between them. But that was gone, now. His eye was only on Berry. And that should have pleased Ichigo, for Ryou had indeed been a temptation for her, though she had always stayed faithful to her Aoyama-kun. So Ryou turning his gaze elsewhere should have pleased her; but it did not.

But now Ichigo had a chance to make Berry wait on her, and she would not waste the chance. She chose an empty table near the front and plopped down heavily into a chair. Her body ached from the beating she had received that day. The blonde girl's magical attack had been frighteningly powerful, and Ichigo had been bruised in several places during her physical struggle with her enemy. But the blonde in the kinky black outfit had gotten far the worst of it, Ichigo knew. Once again the thought came to her: the girl likely was dead. Ichigo had been fighting for her life, but the thought of having killed the blonde girl made her shudder, and a tear trickled from her right eye. If she had not reminded Ichigo of Berry, would Ichigo have lost her temper and fought her? Ichigo had secretly fantasized many times about fighting Berry and putting her in her place. Had she killed that blonde girl because of her petty jealousy? Her head bowed, she stared at her hands on the table.

Then a quiet, tentative voice broke through her darkness. "Ichigo-san? Do you want something?"

It wasn't Berry. Berry was still waiting on other tables, but had not come near Ichigo. Ichigo's wet eyes stared at her for a second; had the blonde stolen a glance at her? Was Berry deliberately ignoring her? Was she too proud to wait on Ichigo? She had not come close to Ichigo's table.

Instead, a small girl stood next to her, slender, with orange-tinted brown hair and rich brown eyes tinted ever-so-slightly toward the red. Akai Ringo had joined the Mew Mews after the fall of Deep Blue but before Ichigo had left for England. She was young, maybe ten years old, about Pudding's age. Unlike the other Mew Mews, she had not been made a Mew Mew by Ryou's infernal machinery, but had had an accidental encounter with a Mew Aqua fragment, and that had been enough to change her. She didn't really fit in with the others, and didn't work at the café too often, since her mother was very strict with her. But she had hero-worshiped Ichigo from the beginning, and had not changed like the others: to her, Ichigo was still the leader, Ichigo was still the best. It was comforting, in a way, but Ichigo did not really consider the young girl a full-fledged Mew Mew. She had never faced Deep Blue and his aliens. And she had no real magical attack; her Apple Pop could heal, which was nice, but she had no solo attack at all. She was far the weakest of the Mew Mews, and so, although she loyally supported Ichigo always, Ichigo did not count that for much.

Ichigo, her eyes red and teary, looked at the young girl. The girl was just staring at her wide-eyed, and Ichigo had to say something. So she spoke slowly, in a low voice. "Yes, something's wrong, Ringo-chan. Very wrong. When Zakuro comes, they'll tell everybody…"

"Zakuro-san's here already," the young girl said.

Ichigo was startled for a second. "Then we should head for the back. I'm sure they'll be closing the place down soon, and they'll want to talk to all of us." She slowly rose from her chair. Near the tables nearest the front door Berry still was ignoring Ichigo's existence. But she, too, would soon be called to the back. Without another word Ichigo headed for the kitchen, with the small Ringo trailing behind her.

Before they reached the kitchen door, Shirogane came through from the back and announced that the Café would have to close for the evening because of some troubles in the kitchen. Ichigo had heard such excuses before. It was time to tell all the Mew Mews what had happened.

* * *

Fate's mind was clearing slowly. She was trying to move, but she could not. She did not know if she was restrained, or whether her immobility was left over from the most horribly agonizing case of magic-shock that she could have ever imagined. Her body would not move. But her mind was working, and the memories tortured her. She had failed in so many ways. She remembered the way the cat-girl had fought with her, she remembered how she was losing, she remembered the terrible, searing pain flaming through her body when her enemy's weapon discharged into her back. She remembered defeat.

And she worried. What had happened to Nanoha? Had the creature and Nanoha fought? Had Nanoha destroyed the evil beast? Had the beast beaten Nanoha? Was Nanoha even alive? Could she live if Nanoha wasn't? Fate made herself think. If that damned cat-girl had beaten Nanoha, then she, Fate, would be dead, finished off by the evil creature. But she didn't think she was dead, so Nanoha must have triumphed... Or maybe, she _was_ dead, and in hell, and that was why she could not move at all. Was this to be her eternity, unable to move or see or do anything but be tortured by her memories?

And then her eyes opened. It happened quite slowly, but there was light, and she could see. She could see a bare ceiling, cold and white, and nothing more. Nothing more…

And then she could hear a voice calling, as from far away. "Fate-o! Fate-o!"

Then a face moved into her vision. The orange-brown hair, the blue eyes… Nanoha. Her blue eyes were wet with tears. Her mouth moved as she spoke Fate's name: "Fate-o!"

And Fate struggled, and her lips finally moved, and she whispered: "Na… no …ha."

And with that whisper, things became clearer in Fate's vision, and her eyes began to search the room, though her head still would not move. Behind Nanoha, she could see Harlaown Lindy, her mother, or at least her legal guardian. But most of all, she could see Nanoha. And seeing her, and knowing they both were alive, gave Fate such joy as she had never felt before, not even in those memories that had been stolen from her so-called sister Alicia. And the corners of her mouth began to move, as she slowly, painfully smiled.

And Nanoha bent down and embraced her, and kissed her on the forehead, and all but shouted: "Oh, Fate-o! You're alive!"

And finally, Fate felt safe again. And her smile became full as she whispered once more: "Na… no… ha."

* * *

They had just finished watching the video that Masha had recorded of Ichigo's confrontation with the blonde girl from the Time-Space Administration Bureau. For several seconds all were silent, and then Ryou spoke slowly. "It seems we have another enemy," he said. "But this one we don't know anything about, except that they apparently want to suppress all magic use, and that they have immense power."

There was more silence before Zakuro asked, "The blonde girl – is she dead?"

Ichigo squirmed most uncomfortably at the question, but it was Ryou who answered. "Likely, she is. These are the records of the confrontation from our sensors. I'll speed things up for you so it won't take too long to watch." He clicked a few keys on his computer keyboard, and some animated graphics began playing. "This is how it all started. This red dot here represents a chimera anima, nothing special, just one more of the blasted things that keep popping up every now and again. We think that when you girls destroyed a chimera anima during the alien war, if R2000 wasn't around to collect the parasite alien, then the parasite simply slipped off into the shadows. Every now and again one infects itself into some creature or the other and turns it into a chimera anima. As more and more of these parasites are eliminated, it's almost sure that we will encounter fewer and fewer chimera animas." He paused for a few seconds while his fingers tapped the screen. Then he sent on, "This pink dot is Ichigo. She approaches the chimera anima, and then she discharges a large amount of magical energy – Strawberry Surprise, no doubt." A lighted circle radiated out from the pink dot and faded, and the red dot grew very faint and small. "The chimera anima is destroyed, and only the parasite alien remains." Then the red dot disappeared. "R2000 collected the parasite, and that should have ended things."

But the record of what happened continued to play on Ryou's screen, and another light appeared from the bottom of the screen. A dot, golden and bright, approached Ichigo's pink dot. And Ryou continued, "This is our new enemy. It represents the blonde girl you saw in R2000's video. She approaches Ichigo, and they fight: note that there are two light-circles that emanate from the gold dot, the two times the girl attacked Ichigo. Ichigo flees – watch the pink dot move - and the gold dot pursues. They come together – that is when Ichigo jumps the enemy – and then there is a large light-circle, when Ichigo attacks with the Strawberry Surprise. And notice: the gold light goes out, indicating no more magical energy. Likely, that means the blonde girl was killed."

There was more silence, and then Zakuro spoke. "I suppose that by now, someone has found the body. They fought in Kumano Park, a public place."

Ryou responded, "I think someone did, but not just any someone. After the fight, R2000 detected another enemy approaching, and Ichigo fled the scene. See the pink dot move." Once again, his fingers tapped his keyboard. "Note that another magical signature, one very much like the blonde girl's, enters the scene, represented by the orange dot. This dot goes to the location of the fight's conclusion, pauses there, and then leaves, heading upward at a rapid rate. I speeded things up; the orange dot was at the scene of the final fight for about two minutes. So I conclude that another enemy came and gathered up the body of the blonde girl, and left with it."

One more time Zakuro questioned, "But we really don't know that's what happened. We should still look for the body."

This time Keiichiro answered. "It's not necessary. Kumano Park is close, so while we were waiting for your arrival, I ran over there and checked. I figured that since I'm not magical, the enemy would not be able to tell me from any other normal human who was walking through the park, and so I'd be safe. I found the location of the battle – there's a burn spot on the ground. But there was no body there. It was taken."

And after still more uncomfortable silence, Ryou spoke again. "Well, for better or for worse, Ichigo did fight that girl, and it seems we have another enemy, one we know almost nothing about. I did a quick Internet search, and I could find nothing about that Time-Space Administration Bureau. I sent to the aliens we know, to see if they have encountered them; but it will take us a week to get a response, even when we send the message to them through their wormhole. But we do know that the new enemy is powerful and dangerous, and wants to suppress magic use. And we have one more bit of possible information. When R2000 identified the blonde enemy, it said 'Alien.' When it identified the second enemy, it said, simply, 'Enemy,' as if she was not an alien. And R2000 was developed specifically to detect aliens. So it's likely that our new enemy is composed of aliens and humans. This means you have to be extra-careful until we find out what's going on, because we can't identify enemies simply because they are aliens. So for now, be super-careful. Don't transform and reveal yourselves as magical, and don't use your pendants. If a destructive chimera anima appears and you have to fight it, go in a group, and keep a couple of you on watch for this new enemy while the others destroy the chimera anima. Then lose your transformations as quickly as you can. We'll keep working on identifying our new enemies. Any questions?"

There was more silence, a silence that was broken by quiet sobs from Ichigo. They all turned toward her, and then Lettuce asked, "Ichigo, what's wrong?"

"I… I _killed_ her," Ichigo gasped. "I'm a… murderer."

Her soft crying continued, but Ryou broke in: "No, Ichigo, you're not a murderer. You were defending yourself. The blonde girl started it."

But Ichigo just kept weeping softly, and Berry said quietly, "But why did you fight her? You could have tried to explain who we are, and what you were doing. I'm sure that if you told her what a chimera anima is, and why you destroyed it, she would have understood. But right away, you went for the Strawberry Bell…"

But Ichigo burst fully into tears, and ran from the room.

* * *

Fate smiled as she sat in her bed. She was still weak, but a day of rest had gotten her over the worst effects of the magic-shock. The horrible pain was gone, and her strength was returning.

And Nanoha was with her. She sat on a chair next to the bed, smiling also, talking with her friend. On a chair on the other side of the bed sat Arf, Fate's familiar. Arf was in her fully-human form, with her long, orange hair, because the doctors would not allow a dog (or wolf) into the medical suites. Arf was wearing her usual outfit: a skimpy, tight, very-revealing top to show off her oversized breasts, a bare midriff, and revealing pink short-shorts. The familiar usually could not be separated from Fate, although occasionally she now assisted Yuuno Scrya. Nanoha had always appreciated that Arf was totally faithful to her friend Fate, but now, for some reason, Arf's presence made her feel a little uncomfortable.

The doctors had told Nanoha and Arf to avoid bringing up the battle where Fate had fallen, because that would depress her; but Nanoha did not care what they said, and Fate did not care if Nanoha did not care, and Arf did not care if Fate did not care. And so Nanoha and Fate discussed, in low voices, what had happened, and what they would do about it, and Arf interjected a few words when she could.

"We'll find her," Nanoha was saying. "As soon as you get your strength back, we'll head back to Earth. We'll go to Tokyo. We'll use the _Asura's_ sensors to find that cat-girl, and then she's ours." She smiled as she spoke, although there was a certain grimness to her smile.

Fate did not smile as she responded, "Maybe this time, she'll finish me for good."

But Nanoha shook her head strongly. "Never! This time I'll be close enough to back you up. I did so much wrong last time! I was too far away, and came too late. This time I'll be there!"

Fate turned her head away from her friend. "Sure, you'll be there. You're good enough to beat the pink freak. But a weakling like me…"

"Fate-o, please don't talk like that!" Arf broke in. "It hurts so much to hear you put yourself down…"

And Nanoha broke in, "I'll make sure that you get to take her down, Fate-o. You'll prove who's better! You'll beat her!"

But Fate just sighed, and was silent for several seconds. Then, she stared far away as she spoke bitterly. "You know, my mother was right. I'm a worthless failure. I was made to be a magical warrior. You were just a kid learning the ways of magic, but you were getting twice as many Jewel Seeds as I was. And then we fought, and you beat me. I'd be dead except that you saved me – after you beat me. I wasn't good enough then, and I'm not good enough now."

"Fate-o!" Arf all but wailed. "Don't call that witch your mother! She was horrible to you – horrible and evil! You were great, but she treated you as worthless, and now you call yourself…"

Nanoha gasped as she interrupted Arf again. "You mean… you were talking about – about – Precia Testarossa? When you said your mother, I thought you were talking about Lindy-sama. That Precia treated you like garbage, lied to you constantly, and hated you! She beat you, no matter how hard you tried! How can you ever call her your mother? How could you ever believe anything she ever said? You're 'way good enough, the very best! The best!"

A tear trickled down Fate's cheek. "No, Nanoha. I'm not the best. You are – if you can beat the cat-girl." She turned completely away from her friend, toward her familiar.

Tears were falling from Arf's eyes, and she leaned over and embraced the girl on the bed. Nanoha always felt a bit uneasy when her Fate turned to Arf in her need instead of to Nanoha. "No, Fate-o! _You_ will beat the cat-girl! Then everyone will know what I already know, that you're the best!" she half-shouted. "And forget about that fiend Precia Testarossa! She's dead and gone, and the universe is far better off for that!"

But Fate turned back to her friend, and said in a low, sad voice, "Forget her? How can I? She gave me life."

Nanoha opened her mouth to continue the argument, but Fate interrupted her. "I have to call for help now. I need to use the bathroom, and they don't want me trying to walk yet without help."

But Nonoha quickly said, "Don't worry. I'll help you get there and back." The main room was under video surveillance, and Nanoha was not supposed to help Fate walk. But she had come not to care about their rules, and she did not want Arf to be the one to help Fate.

And Fate finally half-smiled, and said, "Thank you, my friend." And she extended her hand to Nanoha, who took it and helped her to rise from the bed. Then Nanoha supported her as she slowly, gingerly made her way to the bathroom in the corner of the medical suite.

Nanoha opened the door for her but remained outside the bathroom door. The medical rooms were all under surveillance, but at least in the bathroom her friend could have a few minutes of privacy. How Nanoha's heart ached for her friend! As she stood waiting by the bathroom door, a tear came to her eye. She had always been loved, always been wanted. But poor Fate had been hated by the woman who created her. She had never known love or even acceptance. How could Nanoha give her what she needed?

Then Fate's voice came from behind the door. "I'm done, Nanoha." And Nanoha opened the door and stepped in, and she let the door close behind her. There were no surveillance cameras there, and Arf was outside. Fate extended her hand, and her friend took it.

Fate was wearing a hospital gown, and the baggy garment hid her slim, trim figure. Her blonde hair was somewhat disheveled, also. But her eyes – those huge red eyes that could express so much pain, so much joy, so much love – those eyes were as glorious and beautiful as ever, maybe more so. Nanoha did not lead the blonde girl out of the bathroom. Instead she stepped forward and drew Fate into her arms. Then she suddenly pulled the Fate's body tightly against her own, feeling the soft fullness of Fate's body pressed against her own. Then she pressed her lips against Fate's. Those lips were sweet, and warm.

Nanoha pulled her face back, and stared at her friend. Had she crossed a line Fate did not want crossed? At first Fate's face was troubled, unsure. But then she nodded.

And Nanoha kissed her again, long and passionately.

* * *

Ichigo sat, quietly sobbing, in the dressing room. She felt so guilty over the death of the blonde girl, even though she was defending herself. And now they were blaming her for starting a war with that infernal Bureau. Maybe they were right, Ichigo thought. Maybe if it had been Berry who was there, she could have talked the blonde girl out of fighting. Berry could smile her way out of anything.

But Ichigo couldn't, and she had started a war, a war they likely couldn't win. That infernal Bureau knew about her. There had been that other girl, the one that had collected the body of the blonde girl. She would be back, Ichigo knew. The way she had wept and wailed over the fallen one guaranteed that she would be back. She would be back, and with how many others? They would hunt down Ichigo, and then Ichigo would die. And the rest of the Mew Mews would die, too. Maybe they could just sacrifice Ichigo and the rest could hide… that wouldn't be as bad. But maybe those Bureau fiends would destroy the world, as Deep Blue had intended. That blonde girl surely had had great power.

And whatever happened, they would blame Ichigo for it. They would blame Ichigo because she couldn't smile her way out of everything like Berry could. They would blame her because she wasn't good enough! The tears spilled down her cheeks.

She didn't want to face any of them, not after what had happened, so she decided she would sneak home. She rose from her chair and crept the door. She could sneak down the hall and leave through the back door, and she would not have to face them. She passed through the door – and then she heard voices. The Mew Mews were talking off to her left, in the kitchen. The back door was to her right, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she edged toward the kitchen door, and cracked it open so she could watch.

Mint's voice rose above the rest. "It's all her fault! If that _baka_ Ichigo wasn't such a moron, she could have talked her way out of fighting! Now she'll get us all killed! We should have gotten rid of her once we had Berry to lead us. Now it's too late, and maybe they'll come after all of us. Maybe we'll all die because she's such an idiot! Maybe…"

Ichigo was being torn apart inside as she listened to Mint's rant. She was about to run for the back door, run and never return, when she saw Zakuro step up to Mint. "Onee-sama…?" the girl in the blue uniform said; and with a loud slap Zakuro lashed her right hand across Mint's face.

"Shut your mouth!" Zakuro growled. "Our friend was attacked today, attacked unjustly and nearly killed, and you make it her fault? What kind of jackass are you?"

Minto, her eyes huge, staggered back in fear. "Onee-sama!" she wailed. But Zakuro spun on her heel and headed for the door – the door Ichigo was peeking through.

Ichigo turned to escape, but she could not run without making too much noise, and before she turned the corner of the hall and reached the door, she heard a voice behind her: "Ichigo."

The red-haired girl stopped quickly but turned back slowly. There was Zakuro, walking toward her. Ichigo caught her breath. Zakuro had just stood up for her against that nasty Mint, and Ichigo knew she should thank her. But she didn't want to talk to any of them now. But she could not move. She stood, rooted to the floor.

And Zakuro came up to her, and spoke quietly. "Ichigo, did you hear what went on back there?"

Ichigo could say nothing, but she finally nodded a little.

"Spying at the door, eh?" Zakuro said, her mouth twisting into a tiny smile. "Well, I don't blame you, after what you've been through." Ichigo made no response, but just stood, trembling. And so Zakuro asked her, "Do you know why Mint – really, all of them – are acting like they are?"

Ichigo still could say nothing, but just shook her head a tiny bit. So Zakuro said, "It's fear, Ichigo. They're scared. They're all afraid they're going to die, so they lash out at you because they want someone to blame."

Finally Ichigo forced some words out. "But it _is_ my fault, Zakuro-san. If I had only not lost my temper, if I had just talked to her…"

Zakuro shook her head slowly. "You had a choice of surrendering or fighting. And I know you, Ichigo. You're part cat and you're all Momomiya. Cats don't surrender usually, and Momomiyas don't either. There's no way you would surrender. So you fought. She started it, you finished it."

Ichigo wailed in return, "But I could have doomed you all! If I had just talked to her…"

"I doubt she would have behaved any differently. She didn't seem much interested in talking," Zakuro replied. "I don't think the rest of us would have done anything differently. I'm sure I would have fought – I'm not the surrendering type. Lettuce would have tried to talk to them, but when that didn't work, I think she would have fought, too. Minto can be a bit of a coward – maybe she would have surrendered, and tried to buy them off. Pudding probably wouldn't have understood what was going on, and instead would have chattered enough to drive the girl half-nuts. But she never would have surrendered. And Ringo would never be in that position, because she uses no offensive magic. Even if they had objected to her healing spells, she could not have fought back."

Ichigo stood sullenly, and then said bitterly, "But… _Berry_ would have talked her out of it, and made friends with her, and everything would be OK!"

Zakuro just shook her head. "I suppose it would have been interesting to see what would happen the first time Berry could _not_ smile her way out of something." She placed her hands on Ichigo's trembling shoulders. "Ichigo, she attacked you unjustly. You were trapped, cornered. Yet you outsmarted her and outfought her. You won, Ichigo. You did the right thing and you won. And if we end up with another war on our hands, know that none of the rest of us could have prevented it."

Then she drew the younger girl into her arms and embraced her tightly. "They don't hate you, Ichigo, not even Minto. They're just plain scared." She held the embrace long. "We all love you, Ichigo. Now believe that, and go home, and be safe for now. And if those Bureau fiends come back, we'll face them together." Then she released the embrace, and touched Ichigo's cheek. And then she turned and walked away, back to the kitchen where the other Mew Mews were.

And Ichigo also turned away. Zakuro was right, she supposed; maybe none of the others would have done better. _And she had won._ That somehow made her feel better. She still wondered if the blonde girl was dead. But she had no way of finding out, at least not then. After one last glance back at the door to the kitchen, she slowly walked to the end of the hall. There, to her left, was the back door of the Cafe, and she passed through it.

It was very dark by that time. The night was cool and very clear. Behind the Café Mew Mew was a small park, so there were no streetlights there. There were many openings in the trees, and through them Ichigo could see innumerable glittering stars in the darkness. After several steps, she stopped, and drew from her pocket the golden medallion.

Ryou had told her not to do any magic, lest the Bureau people find her. She shrugged at that thought. Then she spoke: "Bardiche?"

"Yes, Master," the foreign voice came back.

"How do I fly?" the girl asked.

The device did not question Ichigo's behavior in the least. "First, you have to transform. Hold me up and say, "Set up!"

This Ichigo did, and she spun through a rather violent transformation sequence. When it was done, she settled down, and looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a very revealing half-top of fine black leather and a tiny white microskirt that was guaranteed to show her panties even if she didn't fly. Her legs and feet were covered with kinky thigh-high boots. Her midriff was completely bare.

She gasped a bit at the outfit. "Ah, Bardiche, this outfit isn't… me. I don't want to go around showing everybody my underwear."

"That is what I am programmed to give you," the device replied.

"Well, it won't do. Can I wear my regular Mew Mew thing?" Ichigo asked.

"It should work," the device answered.

So Ichigo kissed her Mew Mew pendant, and chanted, _"Mew Mew Strawberry, metamorpho-SIS!"_ And she spun through her transformation, finishing in her frilly pink Mew Mew minidress, with her cat ears and tail as well.

Then the device said, "Now say, 'Flying mode.'" And this Ichigo did; and the medallion transformed into the long shafted weapon Ichigo had first seen when she had been confronted by the blonde girl from the Bureau.

"Now, just jump up, and fly," the device said.

Ichigo stood silently for a second. "Ah, do I have to ride you, like a witch on a broom?"

"Negative," the device said.

Ichigo shrugged. Apparently this device would consider none of her questions stupid. So she held the device tightly against her breast and shut her eyes. And she leaped up. "Fly!" she chanted.

And up she went, soaring above the trees and the houses, up toward those stars above her. She opened her eyes, and gasped at the beauty of it all, as the lights of Tokyo spread out from one horizon to the other, but receded beneath her. The wind blew through her pink hair, and a feeling of great peace and freedom swept over her as she soared through the great wild sky.

* * *

 _Author's note: According to the Internet, the name of Fate's familiar can be transliterated as either "Alph" or "Arf." The Internet article preferred "Alph," but the fansubbed anime I watched used "Arf," so I used "Arf" as well._

 _\- tgwWhale_


	5. Chapter 5 The Shadow of That Woman

**Chapter 5**

 **The Shadow of That Woman**

Nanoha paused while the automated door to Fate's quarters slid open. They had bunked together for some time, but after Fate's injury, she had been given separate quarters, since Nanoha was busy with her many duties, and Fate needed rest. But those duties were now done for the day, and Nanoha had raced over to see her beloved friend.

She had pressed the greeting button, but Fate had not come to the door. That had not concerned Nanoha much; perhaps Fate had a surprise for her. Fate had got her hands on some kinky lace underwear – black, naturally - and had shown it to Nanoha the day before. Nanoha fancied that perhaps her beloved was waiting in bed for her. They had slept in the same bed many times, as their friendship had grown; but that is all they had actually done in that bed together – slept. But since their kiss a few days before, their relationship had changed so much. And if Fate waited for her in bed, wearing that kinky black lace thing, she certainly wanted to do more than sleep. And of course Nanoha would oblige her! Though she did not really know what to do, if she crawled into bed with Fate. She was so young and knew little of those things yet. But maybe Fate would know. So Nanoha pushed the entrance button, and the door had not been locked. It slid open, and Nanoha stepped in.

"Fate-o!" she began, and then stopped. Fate was not alone!

Fate was locked in a tight embrace with her own familiar! The wolf-girl's arms were wrapped around her, and Fate's face was pressed against the familiar's chest, at the base of her neck, right on top of the creature's oversized breasts. A violent emotion raced through Nanoha, an emotion she had never felt before. She took a quick step toward the offending creature before she stopped herself.

But she did not stop her voice. "Fate-o!" she called out, loudly. There were all kinds of emotions in that call – anger and fear and desire and more.

But the other two did not even acknowledge her presence.

"Fate-o!" she called, a third time. And then she rushed over to them, her soul screaming in anger and jealousy.

Then she stopped, suddenly. Fate was crying, sobbing, shaking, and the familiar was trying to comfort her! That was why they were embracing, or so it seemed. But what had happened? Fate was recovering so well from her injuries. Things were going better and better. "Fate-o?" Nanoha asked, her voice now soft and filled with concern. She reached out, and touched the blonde girl's shoulder.

Fate raised her head ever-so-slightly from her familiar's breast, and stole a tiny glance at Nanoha before she turned away. "Nanoha… chan. Just go away, OK? Just go away," she mumbled.

Those words struck Nanoha like a dagger through the heart. Had she lost Fate's love to that bloated familiar? Rage boiled up inside of her, and she struggled to hold it in. She would not leave her beloved, not when something was going so wrong, whatever that something was. "No, Fate-o. I won't go. You gotta tell me what's going on. What's so wrong?"

But Fate just kept sobbing, and would not turn to her friend. So Nanoha reached out to touch her.

"Why touch her?" the familiar asked in a very hard tone. "Don't you think you've hurt her enough?"

Nonoha could no longer keep the rage in her heart, and it exploded out in harsh words. "Shut your damned mouth, you over-stuffed…" She did not finish the line, but continued, "What have I done to Fate, besides be her friend?"

The half-wolf bared her fangs. "It's what you _didn't_ do, you little…" She finished neither the words nor the thought. "You let my master get hurt, when you should have protected her. And now… now…" Once again, she did not finish.

"Now, what?" Nanoha demanded. The thought crossed her mind that she should teach the arrogant familiar a good lesson.

"Just get away from her, and stay away!" Arf demanded.

"No!" Nanoha barked in her anger. "Fate is hurting, and I'm going to be here for her, like always. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Arf stepped back, and stood there, her hands on her hips. She was all but daring Nanoha to fight. And Nonoha would be most happy to oblige her. The familiar was powerful but in no way could match the magical power of Lyrical Nanoha, who at her tender age already had the highest magic potential of anyone in the Bureau's database. Her hand reached for the red jewel that hung around her neck. "Raising Heart…" she began.

"No, stop!" Fate suddenly said, turning back to the other two. "Don't be fools! Don't fight!"

Nanoha would not back down an inch. "Could you please just tell me what's so bad? What have I done?"

Fate spun away again, but this time she spoke to Nanoha, or tried to. "You've done… nothing," she half-mumbled. "It's nothing you did. It's not about you at all…" Her voice trailed away.

"Then why - why do you hide from me?" Nonoha demanded. "Don't you want my friendship – my love – any more?"

Fate said nothing at first, and when she spoke, she spoke slowly and with great pain. "Oh, Nanoha, I… I can't be your friend any more. I'm not good enough!"

"You're not good enough?" Nanoha asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Nanoha…" Fate finally turned back to her friend. "Nanoha, I… I can't do magic any more. My linker core – it's gone. All gone!"

"No!" Nanoha answered. "I lost mine, back in the book of darkness fights. They got yours, too. And they both came back! Yours will this time, too!"

But the weeping Fate just shook her head. "No, Nanoha. Your linker core, and mine too, back then – there was something left, they could come back. Now mine is gone, completely gone. It was completely destroyed by that cat-girl. I'll never do magic again."

"I don't believe it!" Nanoha half-shouted. "There has to be something they can do, some way to heal it!"

"No, Nanoha," Fate answered slowly. "They all told me – there's no power that can restore a linker core when it's completely gone. Not even magic. It's one of those things you can't do with magic, like raising the dead, or going back in time. There's no power anywhere that can fix it. I'm ruined forever."

Nanoha would not believe it. There _had_ to be a way. But she did not know a way right then, so she continued, "But even if it's true, why does that mean you can't be my friend? That doesn't make any sense!"

Fate continued to shake her head. "Nanoha… I'm useless now. I'm nothing. For you, it's different. You have a family, a life. Me… I'm not even really human. I was made as a magical weapon, nothing more, nothing less. Now… I'm just nothing. I can't be your friend because I can't be your equal. You'd have pity for me, nothing more."

Nanoha's jaw dropped open as she heard Fate's words. "What? Don't you understand that I love you? Don't you understand that I'll stick by you, no matter what?"

"I'm sure you will," Fate responded with infinite sadness. Her red-violet eyes were so bloodshot from crying that they looked all red. "You will – out of pity. But I want to be your real friend, your equal. And I can't be, because I'm worthless." She turned away and muttered, "My mother was right. I'm a worthless failure. Just throw me in the trash and be done with me…"

At those words Arf the familiar barked out, "Fate, _please_. Don't call _that woman_ your mother! I hear nothing but her horrible voice in your words!"

Fate, her face very red, turned toward her familiar. "Arf, I see that you have no more respect for me. But stop nagging me! What my mother said was true, and you'll have to live with it, just like I will. You can't be my familiar any more! I can't do magic, so I can't use a familiar! Got it?"

But the wolf-woman just shook her head. "Why not? Why should it make any difference?"

Fate stepped up to the taller Arf and stared into her eyes. "Think!" she said. "You hear my words with your ears. But do you hear my thoughts in your heart?"

For a second there was silence, and then Fate continued, "See? We can't even communicate. I can't do anything magical any more. I can't make use of a familiar in any way. You might as well go serve Nanoha – at least she's not worthless!"

Arf showed her fangs. "After what that whore did to you, if you think for one second that I'd serve her any more than I'd serve _that woman…"_

Fate's right hand lashed out and slapped the wolf-woman across the face. "Don't you _ever_ call my friend names like that! You…"

But before Fate could unload a string of curses, Arf burst into tears, turned, and ran from the room.

And Nanoha stepped forward and took the sobbing Fate into her arms, holding her against her breast.

"What have I done?" Fate was moaning. "She has always been there for me, and now – now I'm acting like my mother!"

Nanoha wanted to object that _that woman_ , as Arf always called her, was not Fate's mother. But she just held her tightly, and whispered, "She'll get over it, Fate-o. And I'll be here for you, no matter what, for ever and ever. I love you, Fate-o. I'll never leave you." And she too burst into tears as she held her sobbing lover in her arms.

* * *

Three days later Nanoha came to Fate's quarters again. Once again Fate did not answer the greeting button, and once again Nanoha entered unbidden. But there was no excitement this time, not like the last time. Instead, Nanoha felt fear and trepidation; she wondered if her beloved Fate would accept her. She worried about Fate now; she even secretly feared Fate might harm herself, so deep was her depression.

And indeed, as Nanoha quietly entered, she heard sobbing – a quiet, half-whispered, mournful gasping. Fate had two rooms, a sleeping room and a bathroom. The outer room was empty; the muffled sobs were coming from the bathroom to Nanoha's right. She crept over and knocked on the door.

"Fate-o? It's me, Nanoha," she called out quietly.

But there was no response, though the sobbing continued. So Nanoha called out a little louder, "Fate-O? It's Nanoha."

But still there was no response, and so Nanoha went on, "Fate-o? I'm coming in." But the bathroom door was locked. Nanoha rattled the doorknob but she could not get in.

And now Nanoha was thoroughly frightened. Fate was clearly alive behind that door – or someone was – but Nanoha could not get in to help her. She thought that maybe she should transform, and blast the lock. But such violence was of course not allowed on the _Asura,_ and using magic would mean trouble. So she called out, one more time: "Fate-o, let me in. Please! Please, or I'll go get help. Please! Fate-o…"

Then the handle turned, and the door opened. Fate was completely disheveled, her hair falling in twisted strings, her eyes bloodshot from many tears. She stared at Nanoha with those red, empty eyes.

And Nanoha threw her arms around her friend and drew her body to herself, and held her tightly. "Oh, Fate-o, what's wrong? What happened?" she whispered.

And between her quiet gasps, Fate answered weakly. "Oh Nanoha, they… they… they threw me out! Threw me away!"

"What do you mean? Who threw you out of what?" Nanoha demanded.

Fate stared at her friend for several seconds. "They threw me out… of… the whole Bureau," Fate answered in a gasping voice.

"But what do you mean, when you say they threw you out?" Nanoha asked.

"I mean they threw me out!" Fate answered, too loudly. "They discharged me, or whatever. I'm not with the Bureau any more! I've been thrown away, like the garbage I am!"

Nanoha's mouth dropped open at Fate's ugly words. "You shouldn't hold me like this, shouldn't even touch me!" Fate moaned. "You'll just soil yourself touching the garbage!"

Nanoha would not be refused, and embraced her sobbing friend all the more tightly. "Please, please don't say such things, Fate-o," she whispered. "You're wonderful, and… I love you. Don't call yourself terrible things."

"But they're true!" Fate responded. "It's what I keep telling you – my mother was right. I'm nothing but garbage, and so they threw me out."

But Nanoha kept whispering as warmly as she could. "And please, please, don't call that awful woman your mother. Lindy Harlaown is your mother!"

Suddenly and quite violently Fate pushed Nanoha away. "No!" she growled. "That bitch is no mother of mine. Precia Testarossa gave me life, and though she abused me and beat me and hated me, she never threw me away. But that whore Lindy…" Her voice choked in anger.

"But…" Nanoha began. "Are you telling me that it's Admiral Lindy that discharged you from the Bureau?"

"Who the hell else?" Fate gasped. "She's the commander here, isn't she? She called me in, and threw me out!"

"She _what?"_ Nanoha gasped in return. "Admiral Lindy?"

"Yeah," Fate moaned, her voice lowering. "She said I'd have to get off the _Asura,_ and enter civilian life. But I have nowhere to go. They might as well just throw me in a landfill somewhere!"

"But Fate-o…" Nanoha began; but the blonde angrily cut her off.

"You just don't get it, do you!" Fate all but shouted. "You – you have a life. If you left the Bureau, you could go home to Earth, to Japan, to your family, and go back to school, to your friends. It might not be as exciting, but they care about you there. Me? I have no home, no family, no friends, no place to go. Without my magic power, I'm worthless to everybody. Just throw me on the garbage heap!"

But Nanoha just hugged her beloved all the tighter. "Fate-o… please, don't say those terrible things. I couldn't go on without you, not any more." The other girl was silent except for a few whispered moans, and so Nanoha continued, "Fate-o, if that Admiral Lindy threw you out – your own mother – well, she needs a talking-to, and I'm going to give it. I'll straighten her out, believe me. But I won't go there until you promise me… promise me that you won't hurt yourself while I'm gone."

For many more seconds Fate whimpered quite silently, and then she asked, "Will you really talk to that Lindy?"

And Nanoha answered solemnly, "I will – and right now."

And so Fate promised. And Nanoha held her long tenderly, and kissed her gently before she released her and left.

* * *

Admiral Lindy watched the monitor that appeared on the wall opposite her glass desk. The guard had sent a warning signal, and so Lindy had looked up from her work to see what was going on. She saw Special Agent Takamachi Nanoha arguing with the guards, trying to force her way into the Admiral's office suite. Nanoha was transformed and was throwing what amounted to a teenage temper tantrum, yelling and threatening the guards. But the guards were standing their ground.

Lindy almost smiled as she sighed. It was hard enough dealing with the command of the _Asura_ without having to deal with the emotions of teenaged girls. It had been many years before that Lindy herself had gone through those years, but she remembered them well – the soaring emotional highs, the crashing lows, and all the interpersonal drama in which every little failure was the end of the world, every little mistake was worth a lifetime of shame, every little misunderstanding or perceived insult was nearly worth a lifetime of hatred, if not a fight to the death. And now, in Fate and Nanoha, she had to deal with these things on a starship, and sometimes in the midst of deadly combat. Such were things when the most magically powerful characters in the Bureau were two young teenagers.

Lindy shrugged and then reached for a spot on her desk. "Guards… send her in," she said. She watched the screen as the two guards suddenly stopped all motion and all words before stepping aside. She watched as the angry teenager, her jaw set and her eyes wild, advanced and passed out of the camera's field of view. But she did not immediately open the automatic door.

How that girl had changed, she mused. When she had first joined the Bureau about five years before, she had been the perfect young girl: completely respectful, indeed deferential, toward her superiors and her duties, never once doing or even saying anything wrong. But now, she had become a twisted, seething mass of emotion. And thus she was dangerous: to herself, to those around her, even to the _Asura_ itself. Yet Lindy needed her, and her immense power; the _Asura_ needed her, and indeed the Bureau needed her. And now with what happened to Fate, she was needed all the more.

Poor Fate! Lindy thought - so broken now, seeing no purpose in her life, no purpose at all. And now so involved with Nanoha! Lindy was no fool. She had seen the way the two girls looked at each other, the way they whispered and giggled together. She could tell that things were different between them. She guessed that they weren't "just friends" any more. Ah, the troubles puberty brought! It brought glories, to be sure. But the troubles, the troubles…

She thought of her own Chrono, hardly older that Nanoha and Fate. She had secretly hoped that something might happen between Chrono and Fate; indeed that was one of the reasons she never formally adopted Fate. But her son was blind to anything but duty, or so it seemed. She had hoped that Fate could change that in him, but it wasn't working. Teenaged boys presented their own set of troubles, she thought. But they were nothing like the troubles that came with teenaged girls.

Admiral Lindy sighed again, and touched the spot on her desk; and with a quiet hiss, the door slid open.

In stormed Nanoha, fully transformed, her blue eyes blazing, her deadly staff-weapon in her left hand. She charged up to Lindy's desk and began shouting. "Why? How could you do that to Fate-o! How the _hell…"_ It was the first time Lindy had ever heard Nanoha use an expletive.

"Takamachi Nanoha!" Admiral Lindy said; but the girl just kept ranting, and Lindy had to stand to make herself heard. _"Nanoha!"_

And Nanoha finally silenced herself, perhaps because she finally heard the Admiral's order, or perhaps because she was out of breath. And in the silence, Lindy spoke. "Agent Takamachi, weapons are not allowed in these spaces. Please put Raising Heart away."

But Nanoha set her jaw all the harder, and said nothing. And so Lindy had to speak again. "Agent Takamachi, please put the weapon away, or I will have you removed from this office."

"You'll what?" Nanoha spluttered in her rage. "You couldn't…" Then she stopped.

"Please… Nanoha," Lindy said. "What you are doing is wild insubordination. You would not simply be discharged from the Bureau for this. You could face serious prison time. Just put the weapon away, and calm down."

Nanoha stared at the older woman, then at her staff. And then, finally, she said, "Raising Heart… lose transformation." And the staff shrank suddenly to a small red jewel, and Nanoha's clothes transformed into rust-orange sweater and short dark skirt. She was not in uniform.

Both of the women remained standing, and it was Lindy who spoke. "Now, Agent Takamachi, what is the reason for this unseemly display?"

The anger boiled up in Nanoha again. "What? You know what this is about! How could you do that to Fate-o?"

"Do what, Agent Takamachi?" Admiral Lindy came back.

"What?" Nanoha gasped again. "You know what I'm talking about! You threw Fate-o out, threw her away like garbage! How could you?"

But Admiral Lindy replied, "No. We didn't throw her away."

"So you deny you discharged her?" Nanoha demanded.

Lindy shook her head. "Yes, she is being discharged. But she isn't being 'thrown out,' as you say. She is being pensioned off."

"And what does that mean?" Nanoha came back. "It surely sounds like she's being thrown out!"

Lindy sighed a little. "It means… that she has to leave the service of the Bureau. Without her magical power, she has no skills that the Bureau can make use of. But she is being offered a most generous pension – for the rest of her life. She can live wherever she wants, and she will receive every month a payment from the Bureau, in whatever currency she desires. It will be more than enough to live very comfortably. If she chooses, she will not have to work a single day the rest of her life."

"And why should she get this, uh, pension?" Nanoha asked.

"Because she was injured in the service of the Bureau," Lindy responded.

But Nanoha continued, "You just don't understand! Fate-o has nowhere to go! She has no family, and no close friends outside of the Bureau. She should stay here, where she has people she knows."

"People she knows?" Lindy responded, her mouth twisting a little. "You mean yourself. But I cannot keep her here. Without her magic, she has no skills that are needed here. I would love to keep her with me, but this is starship. It isn't just that Bureau regulations that forbid her presence here, although they do. We go into harm's way all the time. I cannot risk the life of a civilian like that, not the life of my Fate-o. I have applied for an assignment on the ground, where I can keep Fate-o with me. Hopefully, I will receive that assignment soon. But I cannot keep her here on the _Asura."_

"I could take care of her!" Nanoha objected.

"And I'm sure that she would stay happily home when you went out on missions," Lindy responded sarcastically. "You know that's not true. She would insist on going with you, and wouldn't be denied. But without her magic, she'd be defenseless. She'd get killed very quickly."

"I'd protect her!" Nanoha came back. "You know I would!"

"And if you did, you'd risk your own life. You couldn't fight as you should, if you had to protect Fate-o. You'd probably get both of you killed. I can't allow that." Lindy's voice was strong, and final.

"Then where will she go?" Nanoha asked.

Lindy turned away for a second, and then turned back. "She will go… where I require she goes. I am her legal guardian. But I will not send her where she refuses to go."

"She has friends on Earth, in Tokyo," Nanoha said. "I could take her there. She could stay with my family…"

"She could stay there until I get my base assignment," Lindy responded. "After that, she will stay with me. But… if she agrees to stay with your parents, I will allow it."

"And let me go with her, at first," Nanoha added. "I can help her to adjust…"

A twisted smile touched the older woman's face. "Yes, Agent Takamachi, I will arrange leave for you, for a short time…"

Nanoha continued, "And… and don't send the familiar. Fate-o can't communicate magically any more, can't use her familiar. And that's really hard on her, really… depressing. If she has to live a normal, non-magical life, having her familiar around will be something impossible for her to live with, a constant reminder…" Her voice faded away.

Lindy looked at the young girl in silence for a long time. Then she sighed openly, and said, "Yes, Takamachi Nanoha. I will arrange for you and Fate-o to travel to your world, to your parents' home – if she is willing to go."

Nanoha nodded. "I'll tell Fate-o. I'll convince her… to come with me."

And Admiral Lindy nodded.


	6. Chapter 6 Chocolate

Chapter 6

Chocolate

Nanoha sighed deeply, and she felt a tear trickle down her right cheek. She had done everything she could for her beloved Fate. She had traveled with her to Earth, and had stayed with her for nearly two weeks. Her family had embraced Fate, her brother and sister as well as her parents. They had included her in the family meals and all of the family things. And all of them had gone out of their way to talk to Fate, to show interest in her. Nanoha's friends had helped, too: Alisa and Suzuka had been included in everything they had done, from playing video games to shopping – lots of shopping. As Special Investigators Nanoha and Fate had been very well paid by the Bureau, and of course Alisa and Suzuka never lacked for funds. So there had been much shopping, and trying on all kinds of fancy, expensive clothes.

And what could cheer up a teen-ager more than shopping? While shopping in those fine boutiques where Nanoha had never been able to afford anything in the past, there were times when Fate seemed to be coming out of her depression. There were times when she almost smiled.

Almost… Nanoha shook her head when she thought of it. Fate was trying her best to fit in, to be grateful to Nanoha's family, to be a true friend to Alisa and Suzuka. She dutifully smiled when she greeted any of them, and seemed to care about what they said. She seemed to be fitting in.

But Nanoha knew that it was not so. There was still a deep sadness in Fate, and deep sense of loss, a deep feeling of worthlessness. Nanoha would occasionally catch a strange look in her eyes, especially when the others were not around. She could occasionally hear a tiny choke in her voice, when Fate was trying too hard to be nice. There was a lack of warmth there that she had never felt in Fate since the days before she broke free from the control of that witch Precia Testarossa.

And Nanoha could not but notice that when she identified herself, Fate had called herself by that hated name: Fate-o Testarossa. Not Harlaown, Lindy's name. She had insisted that Precia was her real mother, and Lindy did not love her, not at all. Lindy had just used her because of her power, and when Fate had lost that power, Lindy had thrown her away. But Nanoha knew that when Fate in any way connected herself to that hateful Precia, she would be indulging in the self-hatred and self-pity that was destroying her. Time and again Nanoha had spoken to her about that: that she should not connect herself in any way to that witch. And yet, every time, when she introduced herself, she would say the horrible words: _Fate-o Testarossa._

And now, they would have only one more day together. Nanoha knew that the next day her two-week leave would be over and she would have to return to the _Asura._ She had begged for an extension, to stay with her Fate longer, but it had been denied. There was an association of magic-users in rebellion on a distant planet, and Nanoha was needed to help suppress the rebellion. It would not take long, Nanoha hoped – maybe a month, maybe two. Then maybe she could see Fate again.

And she wanted to see Fate again, as soon as she could. With Fate's depression, their relationship had been on hold. Fate would accept Nanoha's embraces, and would return her kisses. But when they were in bed together, and Nanoha would try to touch her in any other way, Fate kept rebuffing all of her advances. Nonoha still was not sure at all of what she should do in such a situation, but she wanted to try something to give her love to her Fate. And now there would be only one more night.

And at that moment she did not know there Fate was. They were both supposedly at Nanoha's house, but Nanoha could not find her in the house. Fate was not answering her phone. Nanoha became sure that Fate had wandered off, and that frightened her. More and more, she feared that Fate would harm herself. Her heart seemed in such pain all of the time; would she try to escape that pain for good? There were many ways a girl could take her own life.

Nanoha left the house. Fate was not in their small yard; she had gone off somewhere. She was a teen-ager now, and a free woman, and of course had the right to do so. But Nanoha was worried about where she might go, about what she might do. If she had gone shopping alone, Nanoha would never find her. She knew Fate was not down at her family's café, for she had just come from there. She tried calling Alisa and Suzuka; they were together, but had not seen Fate. With each minute Nanoha's fears grew.

But then she thought: there was a small park a few blocks away, really little more than a children's playground, and they had stopped there once after shopping. And Nanoha had seen that as she watched the children play, Fate's worries and stress had seemed to lessen. Maybe she enjoyed watching the children play because she had had no childhood of her own. In any case Nanoha could think of nowhere else to look, and so she hurried down the street, toward the small park.

* * *

Nanoha was a bit winded when she arrived at the little park. She was used to being able to fly, and it had been quite a while since she had run any distance untransformed. She made a mental note to herself that she would have to get back into better shape – after she took care of Fate. Her eyes searched the park.

There were several dozen children there, playing on the various playground implements. But Fate was not to be seen. Nanoha hurried past the monkey-bars and across the small, child-sized softball field. There were a few trees on the far side, screening the park from the road, but Fate was not among them. Nanoha swung to her left, still hurrying. Between her running and her worrying, Nanoha had become quite out of breath, but she would not stop. In the front corner of the park, left of where Nanoha had entered, a group of children were playing on some swings, and the swings were racing back and forth amid shouts and laughter. That is, all of the swings but one were swinging. One was very still, and as Nanoha drew near, she saw the long blonde hair of a girl sitting on that swing. Nanoha raced up, and then stopped, out of breath.

It was Fate. She was sitting quietly in a rather wide bench-swing, her head down, staring at her feet. She was a spot of still silence amid the loud confusion of shouting, laughing children. Nanoha slowly approached her, and then almost whispered as she spoke: "Fate-o?"

The blonde girl slowly raised her head and looked into Nanoha's eyes. "Na-no… ha." She said the name very slowly.

There were several very awkward seconds before Nanoha pointed to the swing-seat beside her friend, and also without a word, Fate moved over to her right to make room. Nanoha squeezed in next to Fate – there was hardly room for both of them on the swing – and put her arm around her friend.

The children around them continued to shout and scream as they played with wild abandon, but the two girls on the bench swing sat in silence for many seconds before Nanoha half-whispered, "Oh, Fate-o, I was worried. I'm so happy you're all right."

Fate turned to the auburn-haired girl and replied very slowly. "You were worried… about what? Did you think that the cat-girl caught me and finished me off? I'm big enough to take care of myself, you know."

Fate's words stunned Nanoha. She had not even considered that Fate and the evil cat-girl might have found each other, with tragic results. Yet eventually she responded, "No, Fate-o. I hadn't even considered that." She took a deep breath. "Fate-o, my love… I've been worried that you might… that you might hurt yourself. You've been so depressed…" Her voice trailed away.

Fate stared deeply into her friend's eyes. "Nanoha, you've been so good to me, even now that I'm worthless… You, your friends, your family, so good to me…"

Tears gathered in Nanoha's eyes. "Please, Fate-o, don't say that! Don't call yourself worthless! You're so wonderful…"

But Fate completely ignored Nanoha's words, and continued, "So good to me… Nanoha, I would never do that. I would never hurt you like that, no matter how much I would like to escape this worthless life. I would never hurt you like that. You have to believe me!"

Nanoha's mouth dropped open. "Oh, Fate-o! I love you so!" And she hugged her more tightly, and Fate laid her blonde head on Nanoha's shoulder, and they embraced long.

Finally Fate whispered, "These kids here… are happy. I can't be, but it's good to see them happy."

"I just wish I could do something to make you smile!" Nanoha said. "I have to go back tomorrow…"

"The Bureau calls, eh?" Fate muttered.

Nanoha's voice rose above a whisper. "Yeah. You know about that rebellion of those magic-users on that planet, wherever it is, and we have to put it down. It shouldn't take long – they don't have any lost logia or anything like that. Maybe a month, they said, and then Admiral Lindy promised I could see you again."

Fate snorted. "I wish you wouldn't mention that bitch."

Nanoha apologized, "I'm sorry, Fate-o." She hugged her even more tightly, and held on for many more seconds. They she continued in a low voice, "I just wish there would be something I could do to cheer you up a little." She was silent for a while, and then said, "You know, if we were guys, we'd go to a bar, watch sports on TV, get drunk as skunks, and forget everything for a while."

Fate almost smiled when she heard that. "I suppose we're not old enough on your planet for that," she said.

There was more silence, and then Nanoha said quite suddenly: "Chocolate."

"What?" Fate responded.

"Chocolate," Nanoha repeated. "We're not guys, and we're too young for bars, but we are teen-aged girls, and chocolate can fix things at least for a little while. The biggest chocolate pig-out ever!"

And Fate finally smiled the slightest bit, and said: "Chocolate."

* * *

Momomiya Ichigo sighed as she caught her breath. She knew that she was lucky that the café was quiet that evening; the crowd was probably a third of the usual. Perhaps it was the fine weather, Ichigo thought. People were enjoying the outdoors. But she was still overworked. There were supposed to have been three of them there waiting the tables that evening, but Lettuce had called in sick and Mint had left, saying that there was no work to do. Of course, Mint never did any work anyway, but just sat at one table or another, sipped her tea, and bossed Ichigo around. Still, it was hard to be the only waitress in place that always had at least three, and usually had four or five, working. They had called Ringo to come in, but she hadn't arrived yet.

Ichigo wanted to take a break longer than those few seconds, but there were still tables to wait on, and she headed back up toward the front of the room. There were a couple of girls sitting at a table near the front, against the wall to her left, that had come in and had not waited to be seated, but had simply taken a table.. They were sitting on their chairs with the heart-shaped backs, leaning over the table, their faces close to each other. One was blonde, and the other had auburn hair. They seemed young, maybe Ichigo's age. Ichigo walked toward them.

And Ichigo suddenly stopped. Her feet stopped, and her very breath stopped. She knew those two. It was _them!_

She could not make her feet move, and she began to tremble all over. Her breathing began again, breaths now coming in quick, intermittent gasps. Her hands shook, and the order pad fell from her hands to the floor. She could not make herself pick it up.

How many seconds Ichigo stood there, she did not know. But finally she forced her eyes to close, and then, with the other girls out of her sight, she forced her feet to move. She turned away and headed, quite unsteadily, back toward the kitchen. It seemed to take hours to cross the room, but she made it; and if any of the patrons saw that she was acting strangely, she did not notice. She kept her now-opened eyes fixed only on the kitchen door, and when she was a few feet away, she all but leaped for it, and all but tumbled through. Then the door closed behind her.

For a few seconds she leaned heavily against the wall, and then she moved again, quickly now, across the kitchen to the door beyond. There she entered a hallway and advanced only a few feet before pushing through a door to her left.

Shirogane Ryou heard the door to his office open, and he looked up to see Ichigo come staggering through the door. "What are you doing…?" he began; but then he stopped. Even he could see that Ichigo was in trouble. Her face was as white as a ghost, her eyes were huge, and her breaths were coming in desperate gasps. And she was shaking all over.

Her rose and approached her. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you sick?"

But the red-haired girl shook her head and said nothing. So the blond man asked again, "Then what's wrong? What's going on?"

The girl stared for many seconds, and then, between gasps, she managed to get some her words out. "They're here!" she barely croaked. "To kill me!"

"Who's here?" Ryou demanded. "The aliens again?"

But Ichigo just shook her head. Then, she gasped some words again. "The girls from… that… Bureau! They're here. They're going to kill me!"

"Have they attacked?" Ryou asked. "I haven't noticed anything!" He had an array of computer screens on his desk, and he glanced at them. "No magical activity at all…"

"But they're here! Here, at the Café!" Ichigo forced the words out.

Ryou punched a few buttons on his computer keyboard. "Where?" he asked.

"That little table along the wall, up near the cash register!" Ichigo said. She almost got those words out without gasping.

Ryou had the entire Café Mew Mew watched by surveillance cameras, and a few more key strokes and some touches of a touch screen brought a video picture up on that screen. He touched it again, and the camera zoomed in and focused. And there they were, sitting at that table, leaning over so their faces were close, apparently talking in whispers.

"That's them! The two that tried to kill me!" Ichigo half-screeched. "And now they found me, and they'll kill me here!"

Ryou stared at the screen for a long time. "You know, they're not looking like people that are here to kill anyone." He stared longer at the screen. "It surely looks like those two from R2000's video. But they're not registering as magical. But wait…" He pushed more keys on his computer. "If I use the profiles for them we downloaded from Masha… yes. It's surely them. The auburn-haired girl is wearing a magical item on a cord around her neck. It's not activated, and since their magic is so different from what we're used to, the computer wasn't flagging it. But it's surely those two, unless they have a bunch that look the same. And the blonde isn't registering as magical at all."

"I suppose that's because I took her magical thingy," Ichigo muttered. "Well, at least I didn't kill her, and I don't have to feel guilty over that."

Ryou stared at the screen again. "It's just so odd," he said. "They aren't acting the least bit like they're looking for you, or anyone else. They seem to be completely absorbed with each other."

Ichigo stared at the screen as well. "They look… like a couple of kids in love. Like they're on a date or something. Only no boy, just two girls…"

" _Yuri,_ I suppose," Ryou said. Ryou stared at the screen again. "I really don't think… they recognized you. Not at all."

"Good!" said Ichigo. "Then I can get out of here and escape…"

"And never come back, and never transform again, and give up you Mew Mew pendant," Ryou said. Ichigo's mouth dropped open as she stared at him in anger, but Ryou continued, "If they have tracked you here, you can never come back. If they did track you here, that means that they tracked you through your magical pendant, and that means that they can track you anywhere. You'll have to give up magic for good. Maybe you can hide that way. But I don't think you have to run."

"Why shouldn't I?" Ichigo demanded angrily.

"Because I don't think they recognized you at all." Ichigo stared at him blankly again, and Ryou went on, "You forget, Ichigo, that you – and they – were transformed when you saw each other and fought. They look the same, or just about the same, when they transform, except for their outfits. You look completely different – pink hair and eyes and the cat ears and tail. I'm sure they saw you out there, and I'm 99 per cent sure they didn't recognize you. And I think we can find out easily if that's true."

Ichigo ground her teeth. She was sure that Ryou had something dangerous in mind – dangerous for her, of course. "And just how are we going to find out, smarty-pants?" she growled at him.

Ryou ignored her temper. "It won't be hard. Just leave your pendant with me, so no magic registers. And then go out and wait on them."

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo half-shouted. Ryou held his finger to his lips, and she lowered her voice, but she continued, "If they do recognize me, they'll attack, and I'll be defenseless! I'll die without a fight. Is that what you want?"

Ryou shrugged. "If they recognize you, they have to transform before they attack, right? You can run a long way in the time it takes any magical girl to transform. And they can't kill you in the dining room unless they want to kill a bunch of other people. That might give you some defense. If you leave here, you'll be alone. If you keep your pendant, they'll track you. And they'll know that you use this place, and they'll find the rest of the Mew Mews, and the rest will be in danger, too." He was silent again. She stood there, her arms crossed, anger in her eyes. He sighed. "Ichigo, I've long since given up trying to give you orders. Even at the beginning you had a mind of your own, and as you've gotten more in touch with you feline side, you've become so independent that I don't think anyone will ever be able to give you orders, not just me. So I'm asking you: for the sake of the other Mew Mews and of the Mew Project, do what I asked. I'll bet you anything that they don't recognize you."

"If they don't know I'm here, then why the hell would they come here?" Ichigo demanded.

Ryou shrugged again. "Did you ever think that maybe it's just a coincidence? Maybe they came here because they wanted some cake and ice cream. This place has quite a reputation, you know."

"And that's thanks to Keiichiro-san's baking, not you, that's for sure!" Ichigo spat back. Then she put her hands on her hips. "You would really bet anything, wouldn't you?"

Ryou nodded, and Ichigo went on, "Then, if I'm right and somehow I survive, I get a 50 per cent raise, going back to the first of the year. And no matter what happens to me, the other girls get 50 per cent, too. Same deal – you cheapskate."

Ryou's mouth twisted. "And if I win, I get… a kiss."

"You dirty old… er, dirty young man!" Ichigo came back. "Yeah, you can have a kiss. You can kiss my butt!" And then she reached up, took the Mew Mew pendant from around her neck, and gave it to the blond man. Then she turned and stomped out the door.

And Ryou smiled.

* * *

Ichigo stepped back through the door into the dining room, and suddenly her anger drained away. What was left behind was raw fear, fear that lay heavily in the pit of her stomach, fear that made her hands tremble and her knees shake. The two Bureau fiends were still at their table, still leaning out over the table with their faces close, still whispering. If those two are not in love, Ichigo thought, they could not do a better job of pretending that they are. There were three more teenaged girls who had just come in the door, standing and looking around uncertainly. Ichigo thought she would go to those girls first, and put off for a few more moments facing her enemies.

She grabbed a handful of menus and forced herself to walk across the length of the long room. She stooped to pick up the order pad she had dropped. She passed the small table against the wall where the two who had tried to kill her were still whispering. Approaching the other three, she forced a smile. "I'm sorry this took so long, ladies," she said. "We're really short-handed tonight." Her voice almost cracked but didn't. "Can I show you to a table?"

The girls nodded, and they followed Ichigo to a table on against the opposite wall from where the Bureau girls sat. There they sat, and Ichigo laid three menus in front of them. "Will you girls be wanting tea, or anything else to drink?" The girls all said they wanted iced tea, and Ichigo pointed out on the menu the various flavors the Café offered. Each ordered her choice, and Ichigo scribbled their order on her pad, although her hand was shaking so badly no one might have been able to read it. Then she said, "I'll be back in a minute to take your order." With one more forced smile, she bowed and turned from them.

There in front of her, still whispering at their table against the far wall, were her two deadly enemies. She thought of running to the kitchen with the other girls' order, but she knew she could avoid this agony no longer. She steeled herself, took a deep breath, and forced herself to walk across the room, though all her body was shaking. It seemed to take forever, but she finally drew close to them. They were still whispering.

"Ladies…" she began. Their whispers stopped, and they looked up at her. The auburn-haired girl was very pretty, with large blue eyes. The blonde girl had those huge, expressive, red-violet eyes that no one could ever forget. "Ladies," Ichigo repeated, "I'm so… sorry.. for taking so long. We are very… short-handed… tonight." Ichigo somehow was able to say the words. "Would you like… to order… something?" She placed two menus on the small table

The two girls glanced at each other, then turned their eyes back to Ichigo. Ichigo could see no anger or violence in those eyes. Then the girl with the auburn hair spoke, a single word. "Chocolate."

Ichigo was taken aback. "Chocolate what?" she mumbled.

"Chocolate. Chocolate everything. The greatest chocolate pig-out ever," the girl responded.

Ichigo was overwhelmed. She was sure that they had come to kill her, but what they wanted was… chocolate? She didn't know what to say, at first. And then she got her brain working again, and she half-mumbled, "You'll be wanting something to drink, right? Well, we really have a good chocolate malt…"

"What's that?" the blonde girl interrupted.

Ichigo cringed, for she recognized the voice. It was certainly the one that had tried to kill her. And everybody knew what a malt was, she thought. What game were they playing? And yet, there was no anger in those red-violet eyes, no hatred. So she continued in her half-mumbling voice, "The usual – ice cream, malted milk powder, chocolate syrup…"

"That sounds good," the blonde girl said.

"Do you each want one, or… do you want to order the supersized one with two straws, so you can drink it together?" Ichigo asked. She could still see nothing dangerous in either girl's eyes.

"The super one," the blue-eyed girl said.

Ichigo's trembling hand scribbled on her pad. They really were in love, she decided. She really didn't understand the _yuri_ thing, but she understood being in love, and these two certainly were. She took another deep breath, and managed to say without too much trembling, "Now, for your main order, I would recommend…" She pointed to an item on the menu: "Chocoholic's Delight."

"And what's that?" the blonde girl said.

Ichigo felt a little envy, because she had to watch her weight and couldn't indulge something like that. But she knew by heart what was in it. "Double chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate whipped cream on top, with cherries. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream on the side."

"I want that!" the blonde girl said; and the other nodded.

"OK, two Chocoholic's Delights." She scribbled again on her pad. It was still shaky, but more legible now. "I'll be back in a minute with your order, ladies." She bowed and then turned, trying not to turn away too fast, and she forced herself to walk, not run, to the kitchen door.

There she met Ryou, who said, "Well, do they want your head?" Ichigo shook her head, and so Ryou continued, "Well, what do they want?"

"Chocolate," Ichigo said. "They want… chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Ryou said. For once he did not know what to say.

* * *

It was late when the two Bureau girls left the Café; in fact, they were the last two to leave. They had acted like any normal teenaged girls all night, except for being so obviously in love. They had smiled and giggled and whispered, and they had finished off every bit of their Supersized Chocolate Malt and Chocoholic's Delights. They had made not one indication that they knew who Ichigo was, or that the Café Mew Mew was anything other than a good place to overdose on chocolate. They had smiled as they left and smiled as they paid their tab at the cash register. The only thing odd was that the blonde girl had left a large tip on the table when she left. Ichigo thought that odd, because the Japanese did not tip; but she kept the money anyway, of course.

She was actually smiling as she passed through the kitchen door as she left – a smile of relief, to be sure. There she met Ryou, who had a rather twisted smile on his face. Ringo had come in but was already gone home, and they were the last two in the building.

"Well, did they give any indication that they knew who you are?" the blond man asked.

"No, none that I could see," Ichigo answered, and she tried to push past him toward the dressing room. It was late and she was incredibly tired after all the stress and fear of that evening.

But Ryou took her by the shoulder. "Ah, don't forget our bet," he said, with a rather nasty smile.

"What?" Ichigo gasped. "You wouldn't…" Anger leaped suddenly into her eyes, and she turned around, pulled her miniskirt up, and bent a little forward, pushing her butt out. "There! You can kiss it, you pervert! Or do you want me to pull down my panties and bare it for you?"

Ryou chuckled and started to say something, but Ichigo interrupted him loudly. "And don't you dare say 'yes' to that, or I'll kick you a good one where it really counts!"

"OK," the blond man said; and then suddenly he took her shoulder again, turned her back to him, threw his arms around her, and kissed her long and full on the lips. Finally he pulled back, and smirked as he said, "That was a lot better than your butt, to be sure. And you should learn to be more careful with the bets you make!"

"You pervert!" Ichigo shouted, and her right hand swiftly moved to slap his face; but he caught her wrist.

"Don't forget, I'm half a cat, just like you. I'm as quick as you are." And with a smile and a nod, he turned away and headed for his office.

"Shirogane, you…!" Ichigo began; but he ignored her. And after he disappeared through his door, Ichigo stood alone. Her breaths were short and she could feel and even hear her racing heart thump in her chest. Ryou had always been able to arouse those feelings, right from the beginning. She had never once cheated on her Aoyama-kun, though first Kisshu and now Ryou had stolen kisses from her. But she wanted to get Ryou back for that stolen kiss. She wanted… she knew what she wanted. She wanted to follow Ryou into his office. She started walking toward it.

But she did not open that door. She walked past it toward the dressing room. She would not cheat on Aoyama-kun! In some ways, walking past Ryou's door was harder than walking up to those Bureau girls that had tried to kill her. But walk by she did.


	7. Chap 7 A Long Life's Journey into Night

_SPOILER ALERT! In this chapter part of the plot of the first year of the Nanoha anime is discussed. If any readers are not familiar with that story and think that they might want to watch it some day, it would be best that they not read this chapter._

* * *

Chapter 7

A Long Life's Journey into Night

It was a week later, again on Tuesday evening. Again the business was slow at the Café Mew Mew. There were no more customers than had been there the week before, and this time Ichigo was not alone. Lettuce, Pudding, and Ringo were all working as well, and Zakuro had _promised_ that she would come in a bit later. It had been several weeks since Zakuro had worked at all, and Ichigo had actually begun to miss her presence. But she would be there that evening.

Ichigo had just bused a load of dirty dishes to the kitchen. There had been one large family there, a party of six celebrating a kid's birthday. Now they were gone, and Ichigo had just finished cleaning up after them. Pudding would wipe the table, and on such a slow night, Ichigo could take a break. She thought to sit at a table as Mint would do, and sip a little tea. But before sitting, she took one last look around.

And as it had the week before, her breathing stopped. There was a new customer in the Café, one she had not noticed before. There, sitting at that same little table against the wall up near the cash register, was a girl, a girl with long, blonde hair. Ichigo could not see the girl's face; her back was toward Ichigo. And she was alone; the week before, there had been two of them. But Ichigo was sure: it was that same girl, the fiend from that infernal Bureau, the one that had tried to kill her. And she was back!

Ichigo took a quick look around. Pudding was busy cleaning the table where the family had eaten, but Ringo was advancing toward the blonde girl. And so Ichigo could breathe again, because if Ringo waited on the girl, Ichigo would not have to. She would not have to risk being recognized and attacked. So she quietly sat at a table in the back, where she could keep her eyes on the enemy blonde. There she sat, and watched, and wondered if the auburn-haired girl, or some other Bureau killer, was around somewhere.

But no other enemy made her appearance. Ringo talked to the blonde for a short time, and then headed back toward the kitchen. More chocolate, Ichigo thought. Maybe the girl simply wanted more chocolate. Maybe it was just another coincidence. Maybe they still hadn't recognized Ichigo, or found out any of the other Mew Mews. Maybe all they had to do was to feed the girl's chocolate habit. Ichigo fervently hoped that it was just a matter of more chocolate as she watched Ringo head for the kitchen with the blonde's order.

Then her heart caught in her throat. Ringo wasn't heading for the kitchen. She was approaching Ichigo's table! And her eyes were fixed on Ichigo. She certainly had something to say about the blonde – about the blonde and Ichigo. And Ichigo was sure: that evil Bureau had found her out.

And Ringo wasn't smiling. Ringo was shy, but she always smiled for Ichigo. She had hero-worshipped Ichigo ever since she had joined the Mew Mews, and that hero-worship had never changed. Even when the others had abandoned Ichigo and transferred their allegiance to Berry as the leader of the Mew Mews, Ringo still stood by Ichigo and honored her far above all the others. So she always smiled for Ichigo; but she was not smiling now. Her huge, brown eyes were filled with worry. And so Ichigo was sure: Ringo would bring bad news – the news that Ichigo would now die.

Ichigo's heart seemed caught in her throat. She was trying to look calm but she knew she wasn't succeeding. And now Ringo came before her, and stopped. Ichigo knew she should rise from her chair, but she was frozen.

"Ichigo… san?" the younger Mew began tentatively. She seemed so worried that there were tears in her eyes.

"Ringo-chan?" Ichigo responded, still trying to look calm, but hardly able to speak the words.

"Ichigo, that girl up there, the blonde one…" Ringo's voice faded away.

"What is it?" Ichigo demanded, much too loudly.

Ringo was taken aback. Ichigo had never raised her voice to her before, and so she was frightened. With tears in her eyes, she began to turn away.

And Ichigo saw that. And something inside her heart spasmed, hard. She could not bear to hurt Ringo. She had been cruel to Pudding when she had first met her, lying to her, running away from her, and considering her a pest; and she still felt guilt over that. And hurting Ringo's feelings would be far, far worse. So she spoke, in a lowered voice, "Ringo-chan… What's wrong? You're almost in tears."

And the small, brown-haired girl turned back to Ichigo, and she muttered, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to be a pest…"

Another hurt seized Ichigo's heart. "Ringo, you're not a pest, you never have been. Just tell me what's wrong – or don't you like me any more?"

It was not a fair question, and Ichigo knew it; but she guessed that it would get Ringo to talk to her. And she was right. "Ichigo-san, it's… it's that blonde girl. She's sitting alone and crying, and it looks like she's so sad that she wants to die. I just thought that… that you could talk to her, because you always say the right things…" Her voice died, but her eyes pleaded.

Ringo's hero-worship of her was blind, and Ichigo knew that too well. And Ichigo knew only too well that she did _not_ always say the right things. But she would not say "no" to Ringo. She craved the girl's hero-worship far too much. And so she said, "It's OK, Ringo-chan. I'll go see if I can find out what's wrong." She thought for a second that Ringo would actually be the better one to try to find out what disturbed the blonde enemy, because Ringo had such a kind heart. But she would not disappoint Ringo.

The smaller girl nodded, and Ichigo rose from her chair and began advancing up the room, slowly. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that Ringo was watching her. And she would not disappoint Ringo. So she kept walking, though it was hard, so hard.

She wondered as she walked. What _was_ bothering that blonde girl? It was probably something to do with the other girl, the one that was not there that evening. They had seemed so much like lovers; maybe they had a fight. Ichigo didn't know much about the _yuri_ thing but she was sure that they could have fights like any other couple, break up like any other couple. Maybe she had lost her lover. Or maybe, Ichigo thought, the girl was hurt – or even dead. After all, she was a magical girl that got into fights. Maybe she had been killed while trying to suppress some magic-user that would not submit to that infernal Bureau. But that would be too much to hope for, Ichigo thought.

And then she was there, standing next to the small table. She could avoid it no longer. The blonde girl had leaned her head forward and had buried her face in her arms on the table. Ichigo wanted to walk away. But Ringo was watching.

"Miss? Can I get you something?" Ichigo's words seemed not go unnoticed, so she said, again: "Miss?"

And slowly the girl's face looked up. Her huge, red-violet eyes were wet with tears and filled with a universe and an eternity of pain and loss. Ichigo had never before seen such a hopeless look in anyone's eyes. But the girl said nothing.

"Miss, I know it's not my business, but… is something wrong? You seem to be in pain. Are you ill?" Ichigo's words were quiet, almost caring.

And finally the girl spoke. "No… I…"

And that was all. But Ichigo spoke again. "You were here… last week, weren't you?"

The girl nodded slightly, but said nothing; so Ichigo continued, "Your friend. Where is she?" Deep in some nasty recess of her heart, Ichigo was hoping that she would now hear of the other girl's demise.

But the blonde girl just said, weakly: "My… friend?"

And Ichigo continued, "Yes. The chocolate lover. I remember you two were eating everything chocolate." But the girl did not answer.

Ichigo knew that she should say no more. She was far, far over the line to say more, especially for a Japanese. But the cat in Ichigo could not be herded or controlled, not even by cultural convention, and so she asked, "Your girlfriend, I think. Is the problem with her?"

"My… girlfriend? You could tell?" the blonde said.

And Ichigo responded, "Look, I've been in love. I know what it looks like." Again the girl said nothing, so Ichigo went on, "Is she the problem? Did you two have a fight? Or is she sick or hurt…?" Ichigo wanted to add "or dead," but she knew that question would hurt the girl too much.

"No… she's OK. Just far away…" the girl answered. And then she said, very slowly, "Na-no-ha. That's her name. She's so wonderful…" Again the girl's voice died.

"Na-no-ha." Ichigo repeated the name. "And you miss her…?"

"Yes, I miss her," the girl said. "But there's a lot more than that…"

The girl's voice died, and Ichigo hesitated to say more. Clearly, the girl's last words were an invitation to say more. But should she? Ichigo did not know. Prudence dictated that she leave. She had an answer for Ringo: the girl was missing her friend; and she had an excuse: she had work to do. But Ichigo had never been a prudent one, and had become much less so due to her feline side. So without further words she pulled the chair from the other side of the table and placed it close to the blonde girl, with its back facing her. Then she sat, straddling the chair, with her arms crossed on the top of the seat back; and she rested her chin on her hands. She looked into the blonde girl's red-violet eyes, and half whispered, "Well, what is it?"

The girl looked dubious. "I don't even know who you are," she muttered. "I don't know if I should…"

"Me? I'm Momomiya Ichigo," the red-haired girl responded. That she should never have revealed her name to this girl did not at that time occur to her.

The blonde girl looked at her strangely. Ichigo was a common name in Japan, but Ichigo had revealed her given name to her enemy when they had fought. Still, the girl did not recognize Ichigo when she was not transformed. Finally she said, "I'm Fate-o… Testarossa."

Ichigo had seen the video of her fight often enough and knew that that was not the name the girl had used before. Yet she continued, "And, ah… Fate-o… what's going on?"

Fate stared at Ichigo with empty eyes. "You'd never believe… never…"

Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe not. But why not try, anyway?"

The girl stared again, and then shook her head. She looked down at her hands. "Well, to start with, I'm not even human."

"You look human," Ichigo said.

"But I'm not," Fate responded. "I'm not even from Earth."

Ichigo shook her head. This did sound ridiculous. Yet the girl's pain seemed real. And Ichigo already knew she was not normal. She was magical, and powerfully so. So she asked, "Where are you from, then? The moon? Mars?"

But Fate shook her head in return. "Mid-Childa," she said. "It's… not from this solar system. You've probably never heard of it."

"I haven't," Ichigo said. "How did you get here? A space ship?"

The other girl nodded. "Yeah. That's the only way, I think." She was silent for a few seconds. "I knew you wouldn't believe me…" Then the tears began again as she went on. "And… and… I was never born. I never had a real mother…"

Ichigo was mystified. She was wondering if this girl was truly insane. "But how…" she questioned.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me," Fate said. "I… was cloned. Cloned from my dead sister. My mother… her name was Precia. She was a witch, a horribly-powerful magic user. She was evil, very… She was doing some illegal magic experiments, and something exploded, and… " Her voice faltered and choked up for a few seconds before she went on. "Precia. She loved herself, she loved power. And she loved only one other… her daughter, Alicia. A beautiful little blonde girl, maybe 6 or 8 years old. And when that experiment exploded, Alicia was… killed. And my mother… Precia… she went off the deep end, as they say. She became convinced that she could resurrect Alicia by magical means, even though everyone says you can't do that, if she only could get to Al-Hazard… That's the place where all magic originated… they say. But others say it's all a myth, that there never was…" She took a deep breath. "She preserved Alicia's body in a giant test tube, and cloned me from her, and magically gave me her memories. She made me as a tool, just to gather for her powerful magical items, so she could get Alicia's body to Al-Hazard. But she despised me, hated me, and I could never do well enough for her. Everything I did was a failure, I was worthless. She would hang me up by my hands and whip me with a magical bullwhip to punish me for my failures. And yet I had those memories of how she used to love me… but those memories were Alicia's…"

The words kept pouring out, while Ichigo simply stared and shook her head. Yet it seemed clear: this girl believed what she was saying.

Bitter tears now poured down Fate's cheeks. "Don't you see? You grew in a mother's womb and were raised by a mother that loved you – maybe even a Dad! I was grown in a test tube, and I was hated for being so worthless all my life!" She began gasping and was unable to go farther.

Ichigo in a way was happy that the chair back was between them, for a great surge of pity welled up within her, and without that chair back separating them, she might have embraced and held the sobbing girl. She had to remind herself strongly that it was not long before that this poor girl had so coldly tried to kill her.

And Ichigo knew the story was not done. So she asked, "And how did you get from there – ah, Mid-Childa… to here?"

The blonde girl stared into Ichigo's eyes for several seconds, trying, perhaps, to judge her sincerity. Then she spoke again, in the same low, pained voice. "There are these ancient magical items called Lost Logia that are incredibly powerful. They say that they come from Al-Hazard, but no one really knows. They turn up once in a while and are always really destructive. Well… a collection of twenty-one of these, called the Jewel Seeds, ended up on your planet by accident. My mother discovered this, and sent me to get them, thinking that they would give her the power to reach Al-Hazard. I was just a kid then, the equivalent of about nine years old. And I found that there was another magical girl here, a kid about my own age, that was collecting them… Nanoha. At first I just swatted her out of the way like you'd swat a fly – she was new at magic, and I was experienced and had been made as a magical weapon. But she eventually forced me into a duel for all the Jewel Seeds. And she crushed me! As always, I was worthless!" Once again her voice was lost in quiet sobs.

"I thought this Nanoha was your friend," Ichigo said quietly.

"After she beat me… she saved me. Or I would have died!" Fate muttered. "By then she was working with this outfit called the Time-Space Administration Bureau. They rule a lot of planets and try to control magic use… Well, my mother had no more use for me, because I was defeated. She took whatever Jewel Seeds she could, and left me to die. But the Bureau took me in. Nanoha led this big attack against Mother's fortress in space, and they destroyed it, along with all of Mother's battle robots. I went in also, to try to help Nanoha, and save my mother… But she completely scorned me, and took those Jewel Seeds, and used them to try to reach Al-Hazard with Alicia's body. But I think she's just dead, now." And the tears overwhelmed her.

Ichigo sighed deeply. "Then how did you end up here?" she asked quietly.

The sobbing Fate gasped several times before getting her words out. "The Bureau took me in, and this lady named Lindy Harlaown sort of adopted me. They wanted me, because of my magical ability. So I've worked for them for about five years, suppressing rogue magic-users and all of that, protecting the fabric of space-time. But then, on your world, I confronted a... cat-girl. Just a freaking cat-girl! Now cat-girls never submit, and so we fought. And she defeated me! A _cat-girl_ defeated me! I was so close to dying, but Nanoha saved me… again. But the damned cat-girl took my magical talisman, and my linker core was destroyed…"

"Your… what?" Ichigo interjected.

Fate paused long before responding. "My linker core. It's part of your soul, or something. It's what you use to do magic. Most people don't have one, so they can't do magic. If they're only damaged, they can recover. But if they're completely destroyed, they never come back! So… I'll never be able to do magic again! They tried everything, but it's… gone. And so I'm useless to them, and so they threw me out, threw me away like garbage! My own foster-mother, that damned Lindy, threw me out…" Fate's face fell to the table, and she sobbed loudly, loudly enough to disturb several patrons of the Café.

Ichigo reached out her right hand and began stroking the girl's blonde hair, trying to comfort her. Then she laid her hand on Fate's shaking shoulder, and the sobs slowly diminished. And then the blonde girl muttered, "Despised by one mother, thrown away by another. I have no family, no friends. My power is gone, so nobody wants me, and I'll never be whole again. All I have is Nanoha, and she pities me. I just want to die…" Her voice died then.

And Ichigo kept her hand on the blonde girl's shoulder and whispered her name quietly. Could this story be true? There was no way that the girl made something like this up to deceive Ichigo. But she could be insane, and be lost in a twisted fantasy that only she could see…

Such pity welled up in Ichigo's heart like she had never felt before. She had hated this girl, feared this girl, wanted her dead. And now, all she could feel for her was pity. She knew the girl hated to be pitied, but she could not escape the pity in her heart.

And she bent forward, and whispered, "Fate-o-san? Could you get up, and come with me? I want to show you something."

* * *

 _Author's Note: This chapter illustrates the primary difficulty in writing crossover fanfiction, at least for me. I assume that some of the people who read this story are Nanoha fans, and some are Mew Mew fans. While the Nanoha fans are familiar with Fate's story, Mew Mew fans may not be. But Ichigo needs to learn Nanoha's story to choose what to do, and the reader needs to know that story to understand why Ichigo does what she does. This leads to my writing this long and cumbersome chapter, and also risks spoiling the Nanoha anime for anyone who has not seen it._

 _When I am writing fanfiction for a single anime, I can assume that people who read the story know the anime, and I won't spoil it for them. That is not always true with crossovers._

 _The title of this chapter is of course taken from Eugene O'Neill drama,_ A Long Day's Journey into Night.


	8. Chapter 8 Sun and Rain

Chapter 8

Sun and Rain

The blonde girl looked up and stared into Ichigo's dark, violet-gray eyes. For many seconds she said nothing. Then finally she spoke, haltingly: "What… do you want to do to me?"

Ichigo, too, was silent for several seconds. Then she spoke in a quiet half-whisper. "There's nothing I can do… to make you whole. That story you told me… is the saddest, most pathetic thing I've ever heard. But I'd just like to show you something." And she reached out her hand to Fate.

For many more seconds Fate simply stared at the red-haired girl, stared into her eyes. Fate had learned, through all her suffering, to trust no one – no one except Nanoha. This was just a waitress in a café, someone she didn't know, someone she had no reason to trust. Everybody had always hurt her… everybody except Nanoha. And Arf, her familiar… but Arf had no choice. As her familiar, she was bound to Fate – or she had been. When Fate's linker core was destroyed, that bond was broken. Now, there was only Nanoha, and Nanoha was far away. She had no reason to trust this strange girl in this café. No reason to trust… She turned away.

But the red-haired girl touched her shoulder again, and whispered her name: "Fate-o."

One more time Fate looked up. Through all her pain, she felt a new ache in her heart. She wanted to trust… _somebody_. Long she stared into the girl's eyes. And then she lifted her right hand, and grasped Ichigo's. And the red-haired girl raised her to her feet.

Hand in hand, they walked across the dining room. The few other patrons and waitresses there must have been watching, but neither of the girls seemed to care. Fate was aware that this girl was leading her around by the hand, leading her as if she were a lost puppy. It stung the last remnants of pride she might have still had. But she so wanted to trust _someone._ So she kept walking.

They passed through the doors in the back of the room, and entered the kitchen. It was brightly lit, but empty. There was a small table there with four chairs, and Ichigo led her to that table, and offered her a chair, where Fate sat down. Then the red-haired waitress said, "Just wait here. I'll be back in just a minute." And without another word, she left, passing through a different door than they had entered through.

Fate sat alone. The girl had said that it would be just a minute that she would be gone, but it seemed long. Fate wondered if she should just leave. The girl seemed innocent enough, but she was mysterious. There was something about her that seemed wrong. Maybe it was the way she showed such interest in Fate's strange, unbelievable story. What could she have to show her? If they were in a more private situation, maybe she would try to show her some drugs or something like that, to try to make a sale. Fate obviously could use a way to feel better… but this brightly-lit kitchen, with waitresses moving in and out, was not a normal place to make a drug deal. Or, if they were in a more private situation, the girl might have wanted to show herself to Fate. Again, Fate was clearly in need. There were many planets where _yuri_ prostitution was common, though Fate did not know if that were true on this world. In either case, Fate was not the least bit interested. Or maybe, somehow, the girl and confederates of hers were going to try to hurt Fate somehow… Fate so wanted to simply leave. All she had to do was to get up from that chair and leave through the door she had come through, walk out through the dining room, and leave. She hadn't bought anything, and so she had no bill to pay. She could just leave, and be safe. But… she so wanted to trust _somebody…_

The door to the dining room opened, and the younger girl that had first attempted to wait on her entered. She saw Fate, and came over, looking at her with questioning eyes. They girl's eyes were huge and brown – and innocent. She was just a child, Fate thought. She had not seen enough of life to lose her innocence. Fate could remember what that was like, though it seemed so long ago, now. Life was so easy, then, no matter how horrible her mother had been to her. She had been so sure of what to do, back then.

"Can I do something for you?" the girl asked.

But Fate just shook her head. "I'm just waiting for… the red-haired waitress – I forgot her name. She said she'd be right back."

The girl nodded dubiously, and then turned away. She took some pastries from some platters on the counter near Fate's table, and left without another word. She was frightened, Fate realized. But she had nothing to be frightened about any more. Fate had once been a creature of great power. Now she was powerless – and worthless.

Then the other door opened, and the red-haired girl came back in. She slowly, tentatively, walked up to the table. She said not a word – nor did Fate. For many seconds they stared into each other's eyes.

Then Ichigo reached into a pocket of her apron, and slowly, hesitatingly, drew something out. For many more seconds she stared into Fate's eyes; and then she laid the thing on the table before Fate.

And Fate gasped: "Bardiche!"

There on the table lay a golden medallion, triangle-shaped as much as anything. Instinctively, Fate reached for it. And then suddenly, her hand stopped, and she looked up at the other girl. Her eyes grew huge, overflowing with terror.

"You… you… you're the… freaking… _cat girl!"_ she gasped.

And quietly, Ichigo slowly nodded.

"Where's the damned pink?" Fate gasped again.

"It's only there when I transform," Ichigo said in a low voice.

Fate's chair tipped over backwards and hit the floor with a bang as she leaped to her feet. Her shaking hand grasped the medallion, and with a pleading voice, she forced out the words: _"Bardiche! Awaken!"_

But nothing happened. With ever-increasing terror and an ever-rising voice she repeated the name: _"Bardiche! Bardiche! BARDICHE!"_

But there was no response from the medallion, which lay cold and lifeless in her hand. Without her linker core, she could make no contact with the device at all.

There she stood, in the lair of her hated enemy, completely helpless. She would try to fight, of course. Without magical power, she could do nothing but die. But she would die fighting! Her eyes swept the room, searching for a knife, or something. It was a kitchen, after all. But she could see no knife or any other weapon, and she had not a second to look for one. It was the end, she knew. It would end here.

Yet she was Fate. She would die, but she would die with what little was left of her pride. She fully faced her red-haired enemy, and drew herself up to her full height, and squared her shoulders. And then she said, in as strong a voice that she could muster (which was not very strong at all): "Well? Are you going to kill me now?"

For many seconds the red-haired waitress stared into her eyes. The girl's dark eyes were troubled; she was struggling with something, something Fate could not fathom.

But then, slowly, the girl shook her head. "I… wanted to," she finally said, her voice stumbling over the words. "I wanted to… last week, when I could have gotten both of you, you and your chocolate-loving friend. I recognized you both… I thought you had found me out, and were here to kill me. But then… but then it became clear that you were here just for… chocolate. You didn't know me, when I wasn't transformed. So… so I thought, when you left, maybe, I could ambush you outside, one shot from the shadows, you girls wouldn't have been transformed. One shot, kill you both… And maybe, the rest of the Bureau wouldn't find me, and I could be safe."

"Why didn't you?" Fate asked.

Once again, there was a long pause before Ichigo answered. "Because… because I was just so relieved that you didn't attack me, didn't even know me. I just wanted to let you go, and hope to never see you again. But then… tonight you came back, and I thought this was the end. But you didn't come to kill me this time, either. You came to cry."

"So, are you going to kill me now?" Fate asked.

Once again, Ichigo shook her head slowly. "If I killed you here, I would make a mess of the kitchen. And there would be the dead body, and the police would think I just murdered an innocent. And… you know, I'm part cat, and I guess that part of me wants to be rid of you. And now that I have you helpless…" Her voice died. And then she began gasping again, and the words came out ever-so-slowly. "But the rest of me… I don't like killing. And your story was so sad, so sad…"

Again there was silence, and finally it was Fate who spoke. "Then what are you going to do with me?"

Ichigo shook her head one more time. "I… don't know…"

The silence that followed that line was suddenly broken and the young brown-eyed, red-clad waitress came in. Ringo instantly knew something was very wrong in the kitchen. She could feel the tension, the fear, the terror that filled the room. She stopped for a second, and then came forward.

"Ichigo-san?" she began. "Is something… wrong?"

Ichigo turned to her, and said, "Ringo-chan… I think I need you."

"Anything for you, Ichigo-san!" the young girl said, brightening suddenly.

Ichigo knew of Ringo's hero-worship, knew that Ringo would do anything for her if she could. But to risk her life? Could she ask Ringo that? If she asked Ringo to transform, then the blonde would know of another magical girl that was not under that infernal Bureau's control. For many seconds she was silent, and then she looked over at the trembling Fate. And tears came to her eyes again.

"Ringo-chan… can you transform? Someone needs you."

Ringo looked at Ichigo doubtfully. It was a frightening situation, and Ringo had no idea what was going on. But she so completely trusted Ichigo… and so she said, "Sure. For you, Ichigo-san…"

Fate's voice, harsh and loud, exploded the tension. "You mean, you don't have the guts yourself, so you'll have the little kid do it? You…"

But Ichigo raised her hand, and the blonde girl stopped her tirade. "No, Fate-o-san. She… has no offensive magic. She can strengthen the rest of us in our attacks, but she can't hurt you, or anyone. And… she can heal."

"There's nothing that anyone can do for me!" Fate objected. "I told you that! You can't restore a linker core when it's completely destroyed!"

But Ichigo again raised her hand. "But… she can try. It won't hurt you… Please."

And as Fate again became silent, Ichigo turned to the younger girl, and nodded. And Ringo placed the dishes she was carrying on the counter, and took a pendant from around her neck, kissed it, and cried, "Mew Mew Ringo! _Metamorpho-sis!"_ And Ringo spun up into the air, and transformed into the red Mew Mew, Mew Ringo.

She settled on the floor next to Ichigo. And without taking her eyes off of Fate, Ichigo said, "See if you can heal her. Please, Ringo-chan!"

Still the young girl hesitated. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her," she said.

"Inside… there is," Ichigo said.

And so Ringo held up her two apple-wands, and spinning into the air, she cried out, _"Ribbon… apple… POP!"_ And sparkles leaped from the wands.

Fate raised her arms to try to protect her face, and cringed, fearing the worst. But what washed over her was something wonderful – a wave of relief from all the blackness that had filled her! For a second, she felt as if she absolutely glowed.

Then, the spell was over, and Fate stood there, still unharmed. She felt her body; it all seemed to be in one piece. And Ichigo asked, "Well – how are you?"

"I feel… wonderful," Fate replied. "More wonderful than I ever felt before." She almost smiled. Then she looked down at the medallion in her hand. She was almost afraid to try. But after several seconds, she said, tentatively: "Bardiche."

Then there was silence. Nothing happened.

And all of the peace and joy she had felt fled far away, and emptiness returned, though she still felt fine physically. After many seconds she looked again at Ichigo. "I told you, there is no power that can heal a linker core that is completely destroyed. You ruined me forever." And all of the bad things returned to her heart: darkness and fear and shame and hatred.

Ichigo stared at her. "Just remember, it was you that came after me, not the other way around." There was more ugly silence, and then she began turning to Ringo.

But before she could say anything, Fate spoke again. "Girl… I don't know you. But thank you for trying."

Ringo's eyes were becoming wet with tears. "You're welcome…" she began; and then she turned to Ichigo. "I'm sorry! So sorry I failed you!"

But Ichigo half-whispered, "You did your best, Ringo-chan." She reached out and touched the younger girl's cheek. "You did your best," she repeated. "Now, don't cry. Just… just go and get Zakuro-san, OK?"

The younger girl nodded, trying to hold back tears. Then she turned and headed for the door, back to the dining room. Ichigo had to call quickly, "Ringo-chan, don't go out without first losing your transformation!" And the girl stopped, turned, and stared at Ichigo with her mouth open. Then she touched her pendant, and in a second returned to being simply the young waitress. Then she left.

When she was gone, Ichigo said to Fate, "Just one thing. If – maybe I should say when – you people come to finish me off, nobody hurts Ringo. Got that? Please don't tell me that the Bureau forbids healing without their permission."

Fate responded, "I… won't tell them… about your Ringo. That is, if get out of here alive, I won't tell them about your… Ringo."

Ichigo nodded, but before she said more, the door opened, and Ringo came in again, this time with Zakuro. The tall idol also immediately felt the tension in the room, just as Ringo had done; and she came up to the two girls. "What's going on…?" she began; and then she stopped. "Ichigo!" she barked, quite harshly. "Is she the one… from Masha's video? From that… Bureau? She looks just like her! Those eyes… are so unique…"

"It's her," Ichigo said.

Zakuro's breaths became rapid, and she reached for her pendant. "Mew Mew Zakuro, _metamorpho-SIS!"_ she chanted. And as Ringo had done, she spun through her transforming dance, hers all sensuous and elegant. And she settled to the floor as the wolf-girl, Mew Zakuro.

And then she said, "Well, what's going on? Should I take her out for good?"

But Ichigo answered her, "Zakuro-san, she… can't do magic. Not any more. When I fought her, her… ah… linker thing, or whatever, was destroyed, and so she can't ever do magic again. She can't hurt us."

"She can still tell the rest of that infernal Bureau that we're here, and they'll kill us all!" Zakuro said, her voice rising.

"Yes, she could… and they could," Ichigo responded. "Or we could kill her and be done with her, and maybe they'll never find us." She swallowed hard. "Do you want to kill her, Zakuro?"

"I never want to kill!" the older girl said. "And I've never killed anyone. But I do what I have to do!"

Ichigo nodded, but said nothing.

"And what would you have me do?" Zakuro asked. "Do you want me to kill her?"

For many seconds Ichigo said nothing. And then she said, in a very quiet voice, "If we had to kill, I would do it. I'd never ask you to get her blood on your hands, not like that!" She took a deep breath. "But Zakuro-san… could you… fix her? I've seen you do such wonderful things, with your Mew Aqua fragment…"

"Are you nuts?" Zakuro objected. "Ichigo, she's our deadly enemy. She tried to kill you, tried to kill you when you did nothing wrong! And now you want me to… heal her?"

And Ichigo responded, in the same quiet voice, "Yes." Once again she sighed, so very deeply. "Zakuro-san, she's so sad, she's hurting so much, she's had such a horrible life…"

Zakuro stood in silence, her mouth hanging open. Finally, she said, "And so… he makes is sun rise on the bad and the good, he rains on the just and the unjust, eh? Ichigo, you're such a damned fool…"

Icgigo had no idea what Zakuro was talking about. But she stared at the older girl; and then she asked, sadly: "Then you won't do it?"

But Zakuro shook her head. "That request – I cannot refuse. Ichigo, you're… unbelievable."

She turned to the strange blonde girl. "I'm Zakuro. Mew Zakuro. I'm one of Ichigo's companions. I've known her for two years, and she never ceases to amaze me."

Fate stared at the tall idol. There seemed something threatening about her, and she took a step back. "I'm… Fate-o. Fate-o… Testarossa."

"And what is exactly the problem?" Zakuro asked.

Fate stumbled on her words. "You heard… Ichigo. When we fought, she almost killed me. And my linker core was destroyed. I can't do magic any more, I have no power. I'm worthless…"

Zakuro stared into her eyes, trying to read her soul. "You're not worthless… You're worth enough for Ichigo to risk her life to try to help you, heaven knows why… You're worth enough to have Ichigo risk Ringo's life and mine, and Ichigo would risk her own life a thousand times before she would risk mine, a million times before she would risk Ringo's." She was silent for a few seconds, watching the reaction in the blonde girl's eyes. Then she said, "I promise nothing. But there are powers you do not know about. I can try… to heal you."

Fate was almost paralyzed with fear. There was a power in Zakuro, a power that seemed different from the power in the younger girls. There was a strength in her, almost a hardness, as if she were all steel underneath. Yet Ichigo had called her in… She took a deep, gasping breath. What had she to lose? Maybe this would make her feel good, like the small girl's spell had done. And so she muttered, "Go ahead. Try. Whatever…"

And Zakuro stepped up to her. From her skimpy half-top she removed a tiny vial, a vial that had hung around her neck on a fine gold chain, a vial that seemed to have a tiny blue glow. Then she reached out for the blonde girl…

Fate stepped away, frightened. Zakuro looked at her, not with scorn, but with understanding in her eyes. "Girl… Fate-o-san… if we wanted to kill you, we could just kill you. Don't be afraid of this. Just... trust me. Just believe, OK?"

"Just… trust… believe…" Fate mumbled; and she nodded her head, just a little. And Zakuro stepped forward again, and embraced the trembling blonde girl in her arms. She laid the girl's head against her breast, and pressed the tiny vial against her heart. And her lips moved with strange whispered words. And although Fate knew Japanese, the words made no sense to her.

And then, a soft glow began to surround the two girls, and it grew to a shining rainbow aura. All was silent, except for the half-whispered words of the wolf-girl. For a minute the aura continued, and then it faded. And Zakuro released Fate from her embrace.

And Fate stood there. She stared at Zakuro, then at Ichigo, then at young Ringo, who stood behind Ichigo. Something was different, she realized. Very different! She looked down at her right hand, where she held the golden medallion.

She stared at it, and then she said, tentatively, "Bardiche?"

And a foreign, masculine voice responded, "You are not the master. The other one is the master!"

Zakuro and Ringo both gasped, not sure of what they were witnessing. But Ichigo walked up to Fate, and said, "Bardiche. Do what she says."

"Yes, Master!" replied the masculine voice.

Then all was silent. Fate stared at the medallion, and then into Ichigo's eyes. And Ichigo nodded.

And Fate said, "Bardiche, awaken!"

"Yes!" came the voice. And Fate tossed the medallion in the air, and caught it is it fell. She rose off the floor, and she began to spin. Her clothes fell away, and the medallion transformed into a deadly-looking magical polearm, and she was clothed, finally, in a very kinky black outfit with a tiny white skirt that looked rather like some pseudo-dominatrix thing. Then she settled to the floor, and stood, posed, glowing with deadly destructive power, her blonde hair dancing in the magical wind.

And the three Mew Mews trembled as they all stood staring at what Fate had become. At first, none of them said a word; but then Ichigo said, quite quietly: "Well? Are _you_ going to kill _us_ now?"

Fate stood in silence for many seconds. "You know, you are still the master of Bardiche. You could disarm me with a word." Then she stepped forward. "You just restored me when they all said it could not be done. I don't know by what power you did it, but you made me whole again. I'm not worthless any more!"

She handed Bardiche to Ichigo, and then turned to Zakuro. "You made me whole again," she repeated.

"It wasn't really me," the tall Mew Mew said. But Fate did not care. She threw her arms around Zakuro and hugged her tightly and long – very long. "Thank you, thank you!" she kept whispering.

Then she released Zakuro, who stared at her with a very questioning look in her eyes. Without a word, she turned to Ringo, and hugged her also; and then, finally, Ichigo. And that hug was the longest and the tightest.

Then finally she stepped back, and said, "Bardiche… return." And in a second she transformed back into the pretty young blonde girl in blue jeans that she was before. And Bardiche returned to being a gold medallion.

And then Fate said, "I would never hurt you, after this. And I will protect you, if I must."

"But what about that damned Bureau?" Ichigo challenged her.

"I'm not… with the Bureau any more," Fate responded. "They threw me out… remember?"

The other girls said nothing, and so Fate went on, "Ichigo-san… you are… you are like… Nanoha. And that is the greatest compliment I could give you. She, too, saved me after we fought…"

Ichigo stared at the blonde girl for a long time, trying to read her soul. Then she sighed, and lifted up the gold medallion. "Bardiche," she said.

"Yes, Master," came the strange masculine voice.

"Bardiche, return… to your former master. She is the master now," Ichigo said.

"Yes, Master," the voice said. And Ichigo held the medallion out to Fate.

And Fate stared at it, her eyes huge with desire. "Do you really mean…" she began.

"Well, I'll really miss… being able to fly," Ichigo said. "But really, this is yours. I suppose I could claim it as spoils of war, but really, I'd rather have peace with you, than to have the weapon…"

And Fate took the medallion from Ichigo's hand. She stared at it for several seconds, and then said, "Bardiche!"

"Yes, Master," the voice responded.

And Fate closed her hand tightly around the medallion, and positively beamed as she said, "Now I'm _really_ whole again! How could I ever thank you?" And her arms again engulfed Ichigo and drew her tightly against her body. She held her there long, and then finally said, "Can I go now?"

"There's no way to keep you here," Ichigo said. "Just remember your promise."

And Fate just shook her head. "I will never forget it," she said with a smile. Then she turned and headed out the door, back to the dining room, nearly skipping for joy.

"You know, she could have bought something," Ichigo said after the blonde had left.

Zakuro stared at the closed door long before she said, "She'll be back, whether alone, or with a whole troop of Bureau fiends, I have no idea. But she'll be back. She's a long, long way from being whole, no matter what she says."

And Ichigo looked in askance at the tall idol, but Zakuro said nothing more.


	9. Chapter 9 Strawberry

Chapter 9

Strawberry

The following evening Ichigo and Zakuro were working again, although it had been a long time since Zakuro had worked two days in a row at the Café. Minto and Lettuce had been scheduled to work. But Minto had been more than happy to trade with Ringo and get off that evening, although she would not have if she had known that Zakuro would be there. And they had prevailed upon Lettuce to trade an evening with Zakuro. So those two, who were not known to Fate and thus to the Bureau, would not be present.

Ringo was in, and Ichigo did not like that. Not only did their enemy know who Ringo was, but Ichigo felt guilty that their enemy knew, for she had asked Ringo to try to heal Fate. And of all the Mew Mews, Ichigo wanted, most of all, to protect Ringo. But Ringo was completely convinced that Ichigo could protect her from anything. And in any case, it was busy that night, and so either Ringo or Pudding was needed. Either Ringo had to face the risk, or Pudding. The Bureau fiends didn't know about Pudding, so it was better that Ringo was working, whom they knew about, than Pudding. But Ichigo didn't like it.

And Berry was there. Ichigo didn't like that, either. It wasn't that Ichigo hated Berry; no one could hate Berry. But Berry always made Ichigo look bad, because Berry never did anything wrong. So Ichigo did not like her around. But she was powerful, and would be a big help if they were attacked by the Bureau. And if she fell fighting the Bureau fiends – well, Ichigo would feel a lot less grief over her fall than over the death of Pudding or Ringo. Still, Ichigo didn't like it when she was around.

Ichigo and Zakuro were standing in the back of the dining room, taking a short breather. Unlike the previous evening, the Café was busy, with most of the tables occupied by chattering children and teenagers. The waitresses had been running all evening, trying to keep up with the orders. But there were still a few moments when they could take a breath, and share a few words; and this was one of those moments.

"Maybe you're wrong," Ichigo half-whispered to the older girl. "Maybe she won't show up tonight."

"I suppose that she might have something else she has to do," Zakuro muttered, loud enough for only Ichigo to hear. "But it would shock me if she doesn't come."

"You really think they're going to come and kill us?" Ichigo asked. "I thought that… well, that I could trust her, after what she shared with me last night. About her mother, and her childhood, and all."

For the first time Zakuro turned her face and looked at the red-haired girl. "I don't really trust her, no, I don't," she said. "And I trust that Bureau a whole lot less."

"You don't even know them," Ichigo objected.

"No, I don't," Zakuro responded, "but I don't trust people who think they have 'way more authority than they do, as if they think they're gods or something. What right do they have to come to our world and tell us what we can or can't do? They have the power to do so, but not the right. It takes a really dangerous level of self-righteousness to think the way they do. If Fate-o has told them about us… I can't imagine they won't attack."

"Fate-o said she wouldn't tell them," Ichigo said.

Zakuro nodded, and sighed. "True. And I hope she hasn't, and won't. But even if she hasn't, I expect she'll come tonight."

"And why is that? To attack?" Ichigo asked.

Zakuro shook her dark-maned head. "Maybe, but I don't think so. You heard her story, how sad it was. And when I do the healing thing that way, I can feel something of what is in a person's heart, in her soul."

"And what did you feel in her soul?" Ichigo asked.

Zakuro remained silent for several seconds before answering. "I felt the most awful, saddest… _emptiness_ I could ever imagine. Look, you heard her story. Abused horribly and rejected by her mother, now rejected – as she sees it – by her foster-mother. Growing up without family or friends, except for that familiar she mentioned. She has had one real friend in her life, her Nanoha, and that person is half a universe away. Her soul is empty, and it aches to be filled. And now I think she wants you to fill it, Ichigo, but you can't. But she has nowhere else to turn, so… she'll be here, as soon as she can – and that means tonight."

Ichigo looked into Zakuro's dark sapphire eyes and nodded. She did not completely understand what the idol meant by all her words. Yet she knew that Zakuro understood many things she did not, and she trusted her. She turned away and began heading for the kitchen, but Zakuro's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Look!" the tall idol whispered.

Ichigo looked. And there, near the entrance to the dining room, two blondes were facing each other. The one with her back to Ichigo was Berry, as her waitress uniform showed. The other was Fate. Fate had indeed come, and Berry had been the first to meet her.

Zakuro frowned. "One of us had better go up there now," she whispered again. "Or something nasty might happen."

"I should go, I suppose," Ichigo said. And she began to walk forward.

"No, I think I should," Zakuro responded. "You might get into a fight with Berry. I won't." And she passed the stopped Ichigo and approached the two blonde girls.

The two blondes were clearly having a discussion – indeed somewhat of an argument, though in low voices. Zakuro could not understand any of the words at first, but she began to grasp them as she drew close.

"I came to see Ichigo," Fate was saying. "She's there, in the back of the room. Let me go to her, that's all…"

"For what?" Berry responded. "So you can fight her again? You almost did her in last time, and now you're here to finish the job?"

"No!" Fate came back, her voice beginning to rise. "Ichigo's my friend now! She helped heal me! She…"

"She wouldn't heal you, or help you," Berry responded. "Even Ichigo isn't that…"

But her words stopped suddenly as Zakuro's voice interrupted her. "Yes, she would – and yes, she did," she said.

Berry spun towards Zakuro and her mouth dropped open. Nobody _ever_ interrupted Shirayuki Berry, much less contradicted her. "What?" she gasped. "Isn't this that Bureau girl from the video, that tried to kill Ichigo? She looks just like her!"

Zakuro nodded. "Yes, she's the one. So don't start a fight with her."

"But… but…" Berry stammered. She was so used to being right all the time that she could not really deal with being contradicted.

Zakuro reached out and touched Berry's shoulder. "She was here yesterday, and she was crying, and Ichigo listened to her story, and pitied her, and gave her her magical medallion back. And we healed her. When Ichigo beat her, her ability to do magic was destroyed. We… gave her that power back."

Berry's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy? She could destroy us! She…" Berry shook her blonde head violently. "Why would you, of all people, do anything so stupid?"

Zakuro found Berry's words insulting, of course, but she did not raise her voice when she responded. "I did it… because Ichigo asked me to."

"What? Because that _baka…"_ Berry gasped.

Zakuro's eyes grew dark. She had never heard Berry call anyone an insulting name before. Berry _never_ said anything bad…

Zakuro knew that this conversation with Berry would have to go on for a long while. So she turned from Berry to the other blonde, and spoke in a low voice. "Fate-o-san… you can go to Ichigo. Berry and I have need to have a serious talk..."

"Yes, Zakuro-san!" Fate responded, and she began to push past the other two.

"No!" Berry said, her voice clearly rising. "I'm the head of the Mew Mews, and I say no!"

Zakuro's mouth twisted as she spoke. "That was a _really_ smart thing to tell someone you think is going to attack you, Berry," she muttered in a very low voice. "And if you raise your voice any more, you'll tell everyone in this Café that you're a Mew Mew. Do you want to blab the rest of our identities, too?"

Yet again Berry's mouth fell open. She _never_ said anything wrong! She stammered, and for a few seconds she wasn't able to say anything. And so Zakuro said, again quietly, "Fate-o… go to Ichigo. Now. I'll take care of Berry."

Berry began to object, but Zakuro again touched her arm, and stopped her. "Berry, we need… to talk," she said. Then she nodded to Fate, who pushed past both of them, and approached Ichigo in the back of the room.

* * *

Ichigo had watched the discussion in the front of the room, but she had not understood any of the words. She had been tempted, of course, to come up close and eavesdrop on what the other girls were saying, for it was obvious that emotions were running high. But she had waited, as Zakuro had asked her. She had somehow hoped, at least a little, that the other girls could have convinced Fate to leave. But now Fate was approaching her.

So Ichigo swallowed hard, and spoke. "Good evening, Miss. Are you interested in a table?"

Fate smiled shyly. "Well, yes, I'd like to get something…. Something to eat, I mean," she half-mumbled.

Ichigo led her to a table, and produced a menu. "I've heard,' she said, "that they have some rather good… chocolate treats here." She forced a smile.

Fate took her seat and glanced at the menu for a second. "Well, really, tonight… I was more interested in… uh, strawberry." She looked up at Ichigo.

"There are strawberry shakes, of course, and our strawberry shortcake is known all over Tokyo," Ichigo responded.

"Then… that's what I want," Berry said. "The big-sized shake, with the two straws. And two strawberry, uh, cakes, whatever."

"Two…?" Ichigo asked. She stared into the other girl's eyes. "Is someone joining you?"

"I hope so," Fate said. Then she smiled at Ichigo, and her eyes sparkled for a second.

"Oh… you mean me?" Ichigo asked. And when the blonde nodded, Ichigo went on, "You want to talk again?"

"I want you… to be my… friend," Fate half-whispered.

"Your friend…?" Ichigo mumbled. Zakuro's words of a few minutes before raced through her mind. The poor girl was so lonely, so desperate for attention! Ichigo stared long into her eyes, and Zakuro's words came back to her: _"I felt the most awful, saddest… emptiness I could ever imagine."_ Emptiness… Ichigo could see that in the girl's eyes. Emptiness, and an incredible hunger. Hunger for attention, hunger for friendship. That poor girl, Ichigo thought. She was so… _alone._

And so Ichigo said, quietly, "I'll sit with you for a while, but if it gets busy, I'll have to get up and wait tables. Berry would be most unhappy with me if… if I don't carry my share of the load, you know."

"Berry?" Fate responded. "Who's that?"

"Ah, the blonde. The one you were talking to up front," Ichigo said.

Fate glanced back over her shoulder. "She's mean," she muttered, showing her teeth for a second.

Ichigo stared long at the blonde girl once again. "Berry? Mean? Never…" she muttered in return. "No, not Berry. Not mean… afraid. I think she's afraid of you, like… like the rest of us."

"Afraid… of me?" Fate mumbled. "But I thought you… liked me. You saved me!"

"Just say… I don't know you well enough yet, to trust you…" Ichigo said quietly. "After the way we first met… it will take a long time before I can trust you… all the way."

"But Nanoha trusted me right from the beginning!" Fate objected.

Once again Ichigo was left staring into the red-violet eyes of the blonde girl. "But I'm not your Nanoha," she answered.

Fate's face fell. "You still hate me, don't you?" she gasped. Tears began to appear in her eyes.

But Ichigo shook her head. "No, Fate-o-san, I don't hate you, or I would never have listened to your story, and never asked the others to heal you." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But – I'm afraid of you. That will take a long time to get over." She stared deeply into the red-violet eyes of the blonde girl, and spoke very slowly. "So… your friend? Someday, maybe, I hope. But for now… let's just say I'm the closest thing to a friend you have until your Nanoha comes back. And so… let me get you that order, and then I'll sit down with you. And don't worry about Berry, OK?"

Fate swallowed hard and returned Ichigo's stare, looking deep into the waitress's dark eyes. "OK," she answered. And she bowed her head and stared at her hands, clasped on the table, while Ichigo turned to go the kitchen to get the order filled. But as Ichigo turned, something caught her eye, and she glanced back. And she saw that those hands upon the table were trembling.

And tears filled Ichigo's eyes, too, as she hurried away.

* * *

Ichigo sat, leaning over the table as she took a long drink of the strawberry shake through her straw. Across the table Fate was doing the same, with her face less than a foot away from Ichigo's. Ichigo for second wondered what things looked like to the others. She had seen Fate and Nanoha sit like this, and she quickly had become sure that the two were lovers. Did it look like that now to the other Mew Mews? Would Berry accuse her of selling out the Mew Mews because she was in love with the enemy? But the shake tasted so wonderfully good, and Ichigo, who served such things nearly every night, indulged in them so rarely herself as she tried to keep in shape.

She finished her swallow and leaned back into her chair, watching the blonde girl carefully. Was that a hidden smile, a furtive glance that Fate had given her? Ichigo began to feel even more uncomfortable than she had before. So she took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Well, Fate-o-san… did you want to talk about something?"

The blonde girl looked up from her strawberry shortcake. "Well," she said slowly, "I told you my story last night. I guess I'd like to hear yours. I mean, how did you become a magical… cat-girl?"

Ichigo was somewhat surprised by the question; but she more than a little enjoyed telling her story, if for no other reason that she had to hide a great part of it – the magical part – from nearly everyone. So she started quite from the beginning, and told of her struggle just to survive her premature birth, of her family, her friends, her boyfriend. She told how she had been changed into a Mew Mew by Ryou Shirogane's infernal machine, of her leadership of the Mew Mews, of the obsessed alien, Kisshu, that was always after her. She told of the defeat and death of Deep Blue, of giving her life to save her Aoyama, of being saved in turn by his kiss. And she told of the coming of Berry and her demotion from the leadership, and of the defeat of the Saint Rose Crusaders. The story was long, and Ichigo – not that she would admit it – relished telling the story.

Yet finally the story came to an end. Fate sat in silence for quite a while when it was done. Then she spoke, with more than a little sadness. "It was always different for you, wasn't it? I mean, you were always wanted. Your parents wanted you, and your friends at school. And all of those guys – your boyfriend, and your boss, and even that alien guy… Everybody wanted you. Nobody… wanted me. Except for my magical power, I mean. They all wanted that. My mother and the Bureau and all the rest of them wanted me for that. But none of them really wanted… me."

"Except for… your Nanoha," Ichigo said. "She wanted you."

Fate nodded slightly. "Yes, Nanoha was different. She loved me from the beginning, or wanted to. And… there was one other that cared about me, not just about my magical power."

Ichigo responded, "There was? You never told me about that."

"Well… maybe there were two – no, three," Fate said. "There was Hayate – that's the girl that was mistress of the Book of Darkness, a really powerful magical girl. I think she liked me some, but I think that that was mostly because of Nanoha. She's with the Bureau, now, too." Fate took a breath, and then went on. "And there was my familiar, Arf. She was this dog that I saved. We saved her by turning her into my familiar, and so sometimes she's a dog, and sometimes she's like this woman who wears skimpy outfits and has really big, ah… jugs. She's always faithful to me."

"Fate-o-san… what's a familiar?" Ichigo asked.

"You don't know?" Fate responded. "A familiar is a magical creature that is bound to a magic-user to serve her. Arf always was faithful to me, but she really had no choice, because she was bound to me as my familiar."

Ichigo didn't completely understand yet; but she thought that maybe her Masha acted something like a familiar, though her Masha was a robot, not a living creature. At least she could grasp that much. So she went on, "And you said… there were three?"

Fate stared at her hands for several seconds and then spoke very slowly. "And… there was this… this cat-girl. Her name was… Ichigo. I was horrible to her, and then she saved me – and liked me."

Ichigo just stared in silence, and so Fate asked, "Well… Do you like me?" There were tears in her eyes again.

Ichigo still sat in silence. In those teary, red-violet eyes was all the pain, all the loneliness, all the desire for friendship and love that the universe could contain. She could answer no other way.

"Yes, Fate-o-san. I like you."

Now the tears flowed freely, and Fate gasped out her next words. "Oh, Ichigo! My… _friend!"_ Her mouth smiled, but the tears kept pouring from her eyes. "You… like me!"

Ichigo's eyes began to fill with tears as well. Just what did she feel for the blonde girl? Did she like her, or did she just feel pity? She certainly did still fear her. But she smiled through her own tears, and nodded her head. "Yes… Fate-o… my friend."

Fate's breaths were now racing, and she swallowed hard. "Ah, Ichigo, my _friend,"_ she said, "I have something I want to show you. It's not anything like a magical talisman, like you showed me. But I want to show you, and I think I don't want to show you here. Could we… ah… go in the back again, like yesterday?"

Ichigo was getting very uncomfortable. What did Fate have to show her? Could this be a trap to get her alone, so Fate could destroy her? Was her precious Nanoha here, to finish their rival off? Ichigo sat, her mind racing. No, she thought. There was no way that Fate was faking that loneliness, that emptiness. This wasn't a trap.

And so she said, quietly, "OK, Fate-o-san. We can go in the back again."

And in silence the two girls got up and headed for the kitchen door.

* * *

The two girls quickly stepped through the door into the kitchen. It was brightly-lit, as it had been the night before, but unlike that previous evening, it was not empty. Shirogane Ryou was there, sampling the pastries, as he did far more often than he cared to admit. He looked up as the door opened, staring at the girls; and he frowned.

"Momomiya-San – is that who I think it is?" he asked, quite harshly.

The girls stopped, and for a second, Fate drew back. But Ichigo did not retreat, and she said: "Ah… yes, she is. This is… Fate-o."

"The one from that Bureau? The one that was here a week ago with that other Bureau girl?" Ryou demanded.

"Yes, Shirogane," Ichigo answered. She did not use an honorific when addressing him.

The blond man ignored the snub. "The one that tried to kill you a month ago?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. That one." She did not back down an inch.

"Are you nuts?" Ryou asked her.

Ichigo did not retreat, but marched forward, until she stood full in her boss's face. "It's better that I befriend her, than fight her. It's better than dying."

"Befriend her…?" Ryou gasped incredulously. "You _are_ nuts!"

Ichigo said nothing, and Ryou half-turned away. "How did I ever choose you to be a Mew Mew?" he mused aloud. Then he turned back. "Just make sure that she if she kills you, she doesn't kill or even hurt anyone else. Got it?"

"Shirogane Ryou… _stick it where the sun don't shine!"_ Ichigo muttered. It was supposed to be under her breath, but was much too loud, and both Ryou and Fate heard and understood every word.

Ryou's eyes grew very hard for several seconds after Ichigo's outburst, but then softened, and he said, "I suppose I should just fire you… but being a Mew Mew is a permanent sort of thing." He turned away. "Just remember: you're responsible for her – and for any damage or hurt she does. Got that?"

"Yeah, I got it," Ichigo muttered, again too loudly. She turned away from her boss and stalked back to Fate, who stood with a doubtful look on her face. She took Fate by the hand and began to lead her away.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Ryou demanded.

"The dressing room!" Ichigo snapped back. "Fate-o has something to tell me in private, and I want to go where there's none of your infernal surveillance cameras. Unless you've got one even in the dressing room!"

"What do you think I am, some kind of a pervert?" Ryou growled.

"Yes," Ichigo muttered – again too loudly. And she led Fate through the door to the hallway that led to the waitresses' dressing room.

* * *

The door to the dressing room closed behind them, leaving the two girls alone. The dressing room seemed small and cozy when compared to the kitchen, and the light was more muted there. Fate looked around for a second, taking in the surroundings, and then said in a low voice, "He's really nasty, isn't he."

"He just gets me so mad!" Ichigo responded. That much was true, but she did not mention the other feelings that he could arouse in her heart. "But he's the boss here. He's the one that made us Mew Mews, so we have to put up with him."

Fate was silent, taking in what she was learning about the Mew Mews. Then, looking around once more, she asked, "Are we really alone here?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, as alone as we could be anywhere in the Café," she said. "And no, I don't really think he has any surveillance cameras in here. I really don't think Shirogane is that much of a pervert."

"Good," Fate whispered. Then she was silent again.

So Ichigo asked, "Well, what is it that you have to show me that had to be so private?"

Fate glanced around one more time, and then stared into the cat-girl's dark eyes. "This," she said.

She took one step forward, and her arms encircled Ichigo's waist – and her lips engulfed Ichigo's.

Ichigo was startled. This was not a friendly kiss, nor a gentle kiss, nor a stolen kiss like Ryou's, taken half in jest. Ichigo had never felt anything like this. She had never felt a woman's body, rather than a man's, pressed against her own – a body softer, more curved, more… sensuous? She had never tasted the sweetness of a woman's lips, known the power of a woman's passion. She felt Fate's tongue push into her mouth. But she kept her teeth closed.

Then, with sudden strength, she pushed Fate away.

A sudden pain shot through Fate's eyes, and she gasped, "You don't like me? You don't want me?"

Ichigo just shook her head slowly. "Fate-o… san… I have a boyfriend, and I don't cheat on him. OK?"

"It's not cheating. I'm a girl," Fate replied; and she tried again to draw Icihgo's body to her own.

But Ichigo shook her head again, and said, "It's still cheating."

Fate suddenly spun away. "You don't like me! You hate me!" And the tears started to flow again.

"That's not fair, Fate-o," Ichigo said, her voice a little too loud. "I do like you, and care about you, only… not like that."

"You don't like me at all!" Fate sobbed.

Ichigo had never before felt the power of a woman's tears, and she felt her heart breaking within her chest. Yet she would not cheat on her Aoyama-kun! So she reached out, and touched Fate's shoulder, and whispered, "No, Fate-o. I like you, I care about you. But I don't want the _yuri_ thing."

Fate just kept sobbing, so Ichigo continued, "You just should have asked me first."

There were still more sobs from Fate, so Ichigo went on further. "I told you, I'm not your Nanoha. I can't be her. And wouldn't it bother your Nanoha if she knew that you and I were… ah, you know… becoming lovers?"

Fate suddenly spun back to the redhead, and her voice was quick and harsh. "Nanoha loves me, and she wants me to be happy."

Ichigo shook her head slowly again. "I doubt… she wants you to find happiness in arms other than hers."

But Fate just stood there, her red-violet eyes glaring. So Ichigo continued, "You said you had another friend, and that, ah… familiar. They care about you, they like you, and in their own way, they love you. But they're not your lovers, are they? They leave that for your Nanoha. Why can't I be like them for you?"

For several more seconds Fate glared into Ichigo's eyes, and then her words came, low and dark. "They don't really love me. I wanted you to _really_ love me."

Ichigo just shook her head. "No, Fate-o-san. I cannot be your Nanoha. I cannot be your lover. Either accept me as a friend, or hate me and walk away, because that's all I will be for you - your friend. But if you hate me and walk away – just remember. You promised you'd never hurt Ringo."

Fate stood for several more seconds, weeping quietly. And then she spoke, in a low, horribly pained voice. "You still… want to be my friend?"

Ichigo reached out her hand and gently touched the crying girl's cheek. " I… _am_ your friend, Fate-o," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "You need me, I'll be there for you. Always. But… not as your lover. That will be reserved… for your Nanoha."

Then something snapped in Fate's spirit, and she collapsed into Ichigo's arms, crying, gasping. "Ichigo," she whispered. "My… friend? Do you really mean it, after what happened tonight?"

"Yes, Fate-o," Ichigo whispered. "Your friend… forever." And she held tightly while the blonde girl cried upon her shoulder. Ichigo held her close, but her eyes stared into the distance and her heart ached with fear. What had she gotten herself into now?


	10. Chapter 10 What Lovers Do

**Chapter 10**

 **What Lovers Do**

Fate looked at the clock on the wall again. Nanoha had said that she would be home shortly after noon, Tokyo time. And now it was almost one. Her heart ached for her Nanoha. But this time she wanted to see her even more. She had never told Nanoha that she had been healed from her injuries, that she could do magic again, that she had her Bardiche back – that she was whole again, that she was not worthless any more. Once again, she felt worthy of her Nanoha. But she had not told her. She wanted to show her, to make it a big surprise, and so she could not wait to see her. But Nanoha was late.

Nanoha's mother came in from the kitchen, and noticed Fate pacing around the front room. "You worry too much," she said with a soft smile. "If there was any trouble with Nanoha, we would have been notified."

Fate stopped her pacing and turned to the older woman. She forced a smile, and answered, "I know, Mrs. Takamachi." Fate had never gotten to know the finer points of Japanese courtesy, so she always treated Nanoha's family with utmost formality. "But I've been so lonely without her. I miss her so…" She turned and checked the clock on the wall again.

Takamachi Momoko shook her head slightly as she turned away. She could tell that there was a lot more going on between her daughter and the blonde alien girl than mere friendship. And she was not sure if that was a good thing. Nanoha, because of her powers, had had to grow up at far too young an age. And now, with this kind of romance, at the age of 14… And with a girl who wasn't from Earth, much less from Japan! Momoko sighed. She could do nothing to control her daughter, she knew. But she was worried…

And then, they heard the lock turn. And the front door opened, and a girl came through: red-brown hair, blue eyes. It was Nanoha.

And in a second Fate was upon her, engulfing her with her arms. "Oh, Nanoha! Oh, I missed you so!" She hugged the girl to herself and would not let go.

Nanoha returned the hug, to be sure. And after a while – too long of a while, by normal standards – Nanoha released her grip. Yet Fate kept hugging her to herself, until Nanoha finally said, "Fate-o… my mom…?"

And Fate finally released her, although clearly, she did not want to. And Nanoha turned to her mother, and embraced her, though with noticeably less passion, of course. And then, when they separated, Nanoha's mother asked, quietly, "And my daughter – how are you? How are things?"

Nanoha smiled. "All's fine," she responded.

"And your mission?" her mother asked.

Nonaoha hesitated. She knew that she wasn't supposed to talk about such missions. So when she spoke, she guarded her words carefully. "We were successful," she said. "The rogue magic-users were brought under the control of the Bureau." She said no more, though there was much more that could be said. The rogue magic-users were in fact seeking a lost logia, and were apparently close to securing it. The battle to suppress them had been violent and bloody, with many deaths on both sides. Yet in the end, their power was no match for that of the Bureau, and they were suppressed, thanks largely to the power of Nanoha and her unit.

"Oh…" her mother responded; and then she said no more, knowing that her daughter would say no more. Yet her face was troubled.

Nanoha felt trapped by her mother's questions; but Fate came to her rescue.

"Nanoha…?" she began. Nanoha and her mother both turned to her; and then she continued, "Nanoha, can we go up to your room now? I have something I really want to show you. I have a really big surprise for you!" And she smiled, almost trembling with anticipation.

"Sure," Nanoha said. Then she turned to her mother. "Mom, can we…?"

Her mother's face was still troubled; but she forced a smile, and nodded.

* * *

Takamachi Nanoha followed her blonde friend up the stairway to her room. Things were so different than they were when she had left. Now her mother seemed so much more worried and concerned with what she did. And Fate – she had changed even more. The fear and depression that had filled her a month before were seemingly gone. Fate was now so excited, so full of life. She was… happy. She had never before seemed to be completely happy. But she seemed to be that way now.

And Nanoha wondered what the surprise was. She rather expected – and certainly hoped – that Fate would have some kind of kinky black lace lingerie to show her. On the space journey to and from her latest assignment, Nanoha had indulged in quite a few _hentai_ videos – of the _yuri_ variety, of course. Mid-Childian mores, such as they were, were extremely lax when it came to matters sexual, and so it was not difficult for her to get and watch such videos. On earth, such things were barred for her, at her age; and of course her parents would not approve. But they would never know. And now, finally she knew at least a little of what lovers do.

It was true that many of the things she had seen in those videos had made her… uncomfortable; but at least she had some ideas on what to do now, when she was in bed with Fate. Some of the stuff she had seen, of course, she would never do. But she liked the idea that she saw in one video, where the two women first indulged in some kind of play-fight, and then… That would be fun to try with Fate, Nanoha thought.

Then they reached the bedroom, and Fate led the way in, holding the door for her Nanoha. And when Nanoha had passed through, she closed it tightly behind them. Nanoha stepped toward the bed, but Fate did not follow. Perhaps she wanted some kissing, Nanoha thought; and she turned to her blonde lover. But Fate did not approach her. Instead, she stood trembling, and then, after several seconds, she smiled and said: "Watch!"

And Fate reached into her pocket, and drew something out, something golden and shiny. And she tossed it into the air, nearly to the ceiling, and as it fell, she chanted: "Bardiche! Awaken!" And she spun up into the air, her blonde air flying, her face twisted in ecstasy, transforming into something _so_ wonderful. Then she settled to the floor, and stood there, her blonde hair again streaming in the magical wind, her Bardiche now a deadly weapon in her right hand.

Nanoha stared, her jaw hanging open. Fate's power apparently was completely restored. Or was this some kind of trick, some illusion? Was this really her beloved Fate? Was this a trick of the evil cat-girl and her allies? After all, she had seemed so different! But she so looked like Fate, and sounded like her…

"Fate-o!" she blurted out. "That's…. that's Bardiche!"

And the beaming Fate nodded. "Yes! It's Bardiche! And I can use it again!"

"But that's not possible!" Nanoha objected. "Your linker core…"

"… is restored!" Fate broke in. "Yes, I'm whole again! I can do magic. Just like before!"

"But…" Nanoha began to object.

"Oh, Nanoha, now… I'm not worthless any more! I'm good enough to be your friend again! I'm good enough to be your…" Her voice died, but Nanoha knew what she meant. And she smiled for a second.

But she was still troubled. "You have Bardiche, and there's only one Bardiche, right?" Fate nodded, and Nanoha continued, "That means – you found the cat-girl, right? And you beat her, somehow?"

But Fate shook her head. "No, Nanoha… I didn't find her. She found me! Or really, she found us."

"Found… us?" Nanoha said, doubtfully. "What do you mean?"

Fate took a deep breath. "Do you remember… the night before you had to go on the last mission, we went to that odd restaurant…"

"You mean the chocolate place?" Nanoha asked.

"Yes, that's the place," Fate replied. "Well, do you remember the waitress we had, that red-haired girl?"

Nanoha stared at her lover strangely. "Yes, sort of," she answered. "I probably wouldn't, but there aren't too many girls that have hair redder than mine, so I sort of remember her, I think..."

Fate went on. "Well, a week after you left, I was so lonely, so sad. I missed you so much, my… Nanoha. I felt so… empty. The last place I had felt any happiness at all, was at that restaurant, with you and all that chocolate. I went back. I knew it wouldn't be the same, not without you. But… it didn't help at all. When I was there, I was alone, I missed you even more, and I guess I was crying. And that red-haired waitress came over, and she sat down, and asked for my story. And somehow, I trusted her, and I told her. And she listened." Fate took another deep breath. "Her name… is Ichigo. And then she invited me into the back. I don't know why I went, but I wanted to trust her, trust anybody at all. Then she went to get something, and when she came back, she had… Bardiche!"

"Then she had to be… the damned cat-girl?" Nanoha blurted out. "But then, where was the pink? Her hair and all!"

Nanoha nodded slowly. "She said… that the pink came with… her transformation. I was sure… that she was going to kill me. I was defenseless, no magic. She even told me she thought of killing us both, when we were there the week before. Kill us both, when we were going home, untransformed, defenseless. But… she's not like that, Nanoha. She's so… nice. She's like you, Nanoha!"

Nanoha snorted. She did not like being compared to a cat-girl.

Fate was startled and turned away. She was not at all used to hearing derisive snorts from Nanoha. Then, with her back to her lover, she began speaking again, in a quiet, halting voice. "She didn't hurt me at all. She felt sorry for me, I guess. She was like you, Nanoha! She called in her friend, this little girl, and she was magical, and she tried to heal me…"

"So there are more of them?" Nanoha growled.

Fate spun back, and for the first time anger touched her voice, a little. "All that girl can do is heal!" she all but shouted. "Does the Bureau forbid healing?"

"That isn't ours to decide!" Nanoha came back.

Fate stared at her lover with disbelief. She had never heard Nanoha say anything like that. She lowered her voice, and said, "I will never reveal her to anyone. The Bureau will never find her."

Nanoha snorted again. She knew the Bureau had their ways of finding things out. Then she said, "Well, did this little girl heal you?"

Fate shook her head. "No. She tried, and it felt wonderful, but – but she could not heal me. There is no healing for a destroyed linker core, not medical, not magical. She felt really bad that she couldn't. But then… then this Ichigo had her go out and bring in another girl. This one was older, and she scared me. She transformed, too, into a wolf-girl, and I thought she was going to attack…"

"There's _three_ of them?" Nanoha barked.

"Yes!" Fate came back, somewhat harshly. "And this new girl scared me. There was a power in her, and I could not understand it. But she didn't attack, and the Ichigo girl asked her to try healing me. I was scared, and I would have said no, but the girl said that I should let her try, since I had nothing to lose. And she was right!"

"She could have killed you!" Nanoha objected.

"She could have killed me with or without pretending to heal me," Fate responded. "That isn't what scared me. She said these strange things, these strange words. They were Japanese, but I understood nothing. She took me in her arms and held me against her breast, and pressed something against me heart. And something changed, something… _wonderful,_ Nanoha. Everything was glowing with light, it seemed! And when it was done… I could talk to Bardiche. And I transformed! My powers were back, better than ever. I stood there, holding Bardiche in my hand, and… I was _whole_ again!"

"I suppose it would be too much to ask if you destroyed them?" Nanoha muttered, half under her breath.

"Would _you_ have destroyed them, after what they did?" Fate demanded. "You didn't destroy me, after you defeated me…"

A tiny half-smile touched Nanoha's lips. "I suppose not," she answered.

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Fate went on, "It wouldn't have done any good to try anyway, you know. Ichigo was still the master of Bardiche. She could have disarmed me with a word."

"You have powers without Bardiche, Fate-o," Nanoha came back.

There were more uncomfortable seconds of silence, and then Fate said, "She's my friend now, Nanoha. Just like you, she's my friend. And I went back the next evening and heard her story. She's really nice, Nanoha, really wonderful! And I hugged her and kissed her and…"

" _You kissed her?"_ Nanoha barked out, much too loudly. "You… cheated on me?"

Fate's mouth dropped open. She had been sure that Nanoha would understand. She stared into her lover's eyes, which were filled with raging anger.

The room was silent for many seconds, except for the two girls' gasping breaths. Then finally Fate got some words out. "Nanoha… I was so lonely! And she's so nice! She was so good to me, after I tried to kill her! Don't you understand?"

Nanoha shouted now, unable to control herself. "You were always a traitor, I guess! You were a traitor against your mother, and now you're a traitor against the Bureau. And finally you've betrayed me!"

"No, Nanoha!" Fate objected loudly. "I love you! But… I was… so lonely…"

"You think I wasn't?" Nanoha snapped back. "I ached for you, longed for you, couldn't wait to see you again. But I didn't cheat on you! And meanwhile, you were cheating on me – with a _cat-girl!"_

"But Nanoha," Fate whimpered, "I was so lonely, and she is so…nice…"

"And you think that makes cheating OK?" Nanoha growled.

"But Nanoha…" Fate began.

But Nanoha interrupted her. "Shut up!" she screeched. She could hardly speak. Her face was beet-red, and the veins stood out on her temples. Then she screamed again. "Get out of my house! Just get out! You stinking cheater, get out of me sight!"

And Fate, her face deathly white, gasped one more time, "Nanoha…"

But Nanoha screamed, "Just get out! Go!'

And Fate burst wildly into tears, and fled through the door. She stumbled down the stairs, pushed past Nanoha's shocked mother, plunged through the front door, and was gone.


	11. Chapter 11 The Best Friend Ever

**Chapter 11**

 **The Best Friend Ever**

Ichigo took a deep breath. It was a busy evening, and only she and Lettuce were working. Berry and Zakuro weren't scheduled to work that evening, and Pudding had called in sick. Minto generally never showed up any more unless she thought Zakuro would be there; but she never did any work anyway, so she wasn't missed much. They had called Ringo, and then Berry, but neither could come. And so they finally had called Zakuro, and surprisingly, she had said she would come; but she wasn't in yet. So Ichigo and Lettuce were running their legs off.

And the front door was opening again. More business, Ichigo thought, and she took a step toward the front of the room. And then she stopped.

It was Fate that came in. Her hair was hanging limp, in strings, like yellow straw. Her face was more than pale; it was gray. And her eyes were red: so red were they that Ichigo could hardly tell what should have been the whites of her eyes from the parts that should have been red. Like a walking dead person she advanced across the room. She took one glance at Ichigo, but did not stop. She just turned her eyes to the floor at her feet and kept on trudging. She reached the door at the back of the room, the door to the kitchen, and passed through it.

Lettuce had also seen the zombie-like apparition that had passed through the room with death in her train. She looked at her red-haired companion in askance, and Ichigo nodded. Then she took a few steps toward the green-haired waitress. "I'll have to take care of this, I think," she muttered. "I'm sorry to leave you with this mess out here."

But Lettuce, being Lettuce, simply nodded. She would somehow carry the waitressing load. So Icihgo turned and hurried out of the dining room, passing through the double doors into the kitchen.

There was Fate, leaning against the wall, gasping and sobbing. Ichigo ran to the blonde girl, took her shoulders, and turned her from the wall. She looked into those red eyes and saw there… nothing. And she recalled Zakuro's words: _"…the most awful, saddest… emptiness I could ever imagine."_ And her heart broke, and as pity welled up inside of her, she drew the blonde girl to herself, and held her tightly. Fate collapsed there in her arms, her body shaking, her breaths coming in painful gasps.

Ichigo held her for a long time, her cheek pressed against the girl's blonde head. She wanted to say something, but she had no clue of what to say. So she just held poor Fate tightly, and let her cry. And she cried long.

Yet finally, the sobs subsided, and Ichigo was able to loosen her hold on the poor girl. And then she asked, just above a whisper: "Fate-o, what… happened?"

And the tears started flowing again. Fate pulled Ichigo tightly against herself again, and sobbed some more. And yet, she finally, weakly gasped out a few words. _"Nanoha… hates… me."_

Ichigo did not know what to say. She knew that poor, lonely Fate desperately loved that Nanoha. But Nanoha had also loved Fate, Ichigo thought. She had to understand why Fate would say such a thing. She knew that she was treading far into places that were none of her business, but Ichigo had long since caring about things like that; she walked wherever she would, now. And so she whispered again, "She… _hates_ you? Did she say… why?"

There were many seconds without words, and the only sound was Fate's painful gasping. But then she pushed herself slightly away from Ichigo, and moaned: "She threw me out of her house, screamed at me, because… because I kissed you."

Ichigo gasped in turn. "You… told her? Oh, Fate-o, why would you tell her?"

The blonde girl's tears redoubled, and Ichigo had to hold her for another long time. But finally Fate groaned, "Because… because I wanted her to like you, so we could be friends together…"

"Friends?" Ichigo responded. "Fate-o, you and I are… friends. You and Nanoha… are lovers. And that means all kinds of extra things, things like jealousy and lovers' quarrels. Don't you see that?"

But Fate just buried her face back into Ichigo's left shoulder and sobbed all the more loudly. And Ichigo just held tightly to the gasping, shaking girl. She wanted to say something, but did not know what to say. So she just held her long, and stroked the hair on her head, and tried to comfort her as best as she could.

And she thought, long and hard. Poor Fate had no place to go. She was not from Earth, had no family to go home to. She was far too young to legally rent her own place. If she tried, she would fall into the hands of Child Protective Services. And she could not identify herself to them – whatever identification she had wouldn't be Japanese, to be sure. And Ichigo could not take her home; she could not do so without explaining to her parents just who she was. And that would require a whole lot more lying than Ichigo would ever want to do. And even then, it would be a very temporary situation. She had no idea what she should do; so she just held the sobbing Fate tightly to herself.

And then the door to the kitchen opened, and someone came through: Zakuro had finally come in. She stepped up quite quickly and stood behind Fate, staring over the broken girl's shoulder into Ichigo's eyes. Yet finally, she had to speak; and she did so quietly. "Ichigo, what happened?"

Fate released her tight grip on Ichigo and turned her head. Fear shot through her red eyes when she saw Zakuro. And she gasped once more, this time nearly in terror. Zakuro was the one that had healed her, of course. But for a reason she could not understand, Fate feared her, feared her as someone with a power she could not begin to grasp. She slid around Ichigo, trying to keep the red-haired girl between herself and the dark-haired idol. But she still held Ichigo tightly.

And Ichigo turned slightly, so she could turn her face to Zakuro. She took a deep breath before she said anything. No matter what she said, it would come out wrong; but she had to say it. "Fate-o says that her Nanoha… hates her now."

Zakuro was silent for a second, and then said, still softly, "Why?"

Fate glanced at Zakuro for a second before again bursting into tears and burying her face in Ichigo's shoulder. So Ichigo again had to answer: "She says she told Nanoha… that she kissed me."

In silence Zakuro bowed her head, and shook it for many seconds. Then she looked up, and muttered the next question: "Why in heaven's name, or hell's, or anywhere else's, would you do that?"

Fate just sobbed even louder, and once again Ichigo had to answer: "I guess she wanted us all to be together… you know…"

"A threesome?" Zakuro's distaste for that was obvious. "I thought you said that you weren't interested, Ichigo."

"I'm not," Ichigo answered. "But Fate-o…"

Then there was more silence, until finally Fate raised her red face and teary eyes from Ichigo's shoulder. In pain she stared at Zakuro, and said, "I love them both, and I couldn't live with them being enemies, with them fighting…" More tears poured out. "If they don't become friends, I'm sure… one of them… will kill the other. Don't you see?"

But Zakuro shook her head. "If you hadn't told this Nanoha, she may never have found Ichigo. There didn't have to be killing, or even fighting, any more."

But Fate still shook her head. "It's like it was with Nanoha, Nanoha and me, we both wanted the jewel seeds, we kept competing, and fighting… until we fought to the finish. I was beaten, I would have died, but she saved me, because she wanted to love me. That love… stopped the fighting between us." She sobbed a few more times. "If Ichigo and Nanoha can't be friends, then they'll always be enemies. And that would mean I'd have to stay away from Ichigo! I couldn't do that, she's my friend, I love her, don't you see?'

Zakuro still shook her head. "If you really loved Ichigo, you'd have left her alone. That would have protected her from this Nanoha. That's what would be best for her. Isn't that what love would do?"

Fate, her mouth hanging open, gasped several more times, but said no words. She just collapsed again in Ichigo's arms, and began sobbing again. Zakuro stepped up and reached out to touch her, to try to comfort her; but when Zakuro's fingers touched Fate's shoulder, the blonde girl pulled away abruptly. She just held on to Ichigo, and kept sobbing.

Zakuro was silent for many seconds, and then she spoke in a louder voice. "I suppose… you're right," she muttered. "Now that your Nanoha knows where to find Ichigo, there's little doubt that she'll be coming here – with death on her mind. And if Ichigo – and the rest of us – can somehow survive that, I suppose that the rest of that infernal Bureau of yours won't just let us alone. We're kind of doomed, now, I guess." Her voice trailed off.

And then Fate spoke, and for the first time all evening, she spoke without sobbing. "I would never let anyone hurt Ichigo that way. I will… protect her!"

Zakuro stared into the blonde girl's red eyes. "Really? You would fight your Nanoha to protect Ichigo?"

Fate finally released her grip and turned fully to Zakuro. "I didn't say I would fight her! But… I would protect Ichigo. I have defensive powers, you know, magic screens and all of that," she said.

"And if your screens fail, and you fall before this Nanoha's attack…" Zakuro began.

But Fate interrupted her. "Nonoha would never hurt me like that!"

But Zakuro slowly shook her head. "She hurt you pretty horribly today," she said softly.

Fate gasped, and the tears began flowing again. "No! She would never hurt me… like _that_ ," she said, her voice rising. "Nanoha _loves_ me!"

Zakuro looked down for a short time and then looked up again and stared into Fate's eyes. "You told Ichigo… that she hated you. But… I suppose both are true, now. If she had no real love for you, she would not hate you like you said she does." She turned away from the sobbing girl. "So... which is stronger, I wonder. Her love – or her hate?" She turned back to Fate and awaited her answer.

Fate did not answer that question. But through her sobs, she said with gritted teeth: "I will never… let her destroy Ichigo. Not her, not the Bureau."

Then there was silence, a silence that was long. And then the silence was broken, suddenly and harshly, but the ringtone of Fate's phone. Fate hesitated at first, and then took the phone and looked at it. She stared at it long, and the said, "It's… Nanoha."

And Zakuro was silent; but Ichigo said, "Answer it! Now! Don't let it go to voicemail! Hurry!"

And Fate glanced at her, sighed… and answered the call.

"Fate-o here," she said with a trembling voice.

She listened long before she could get a few words in. Finally she said, "You didn't have to worry… like that! I'm OK," she lied.

The conversation went on for several more minutes, with Fate listening much and speaking very little. But finally Fate lowered the phone. The call was over. She looked at the floor as she spoke. "Nanoha… wants me to come home."

Zakuro was again silent; so Ichigo spoke. "You have to go," she said, quietly buy strongly. "You have nowhere else to go, and… you have to work this thing out, one way or the other."

Fate looked into Ichigo's dark eyes, but said nothing. But then Zakuro said, "You know – this meeting could be the end between you and… Nanoha."

Fate stared at the floor again. And her voice was tiny when she spoke a single word: "Yeah." And tears dripped down her face again.

Ichigo once more embraced the sobbing girl, and whispered, "But you still have to go."

Again the single word escaped Fate's lips: "Yeah."

Ichigo held her for many seconds, stroking her hair, and then said, "I would go with you, but… you know that I have to keep as far away from… Nanoha… as I can. You know that."

Once more, a single word came from Fate: "Yeah."

And Ichigo said, "I'll take you out the back door. You won't have to walk through the public dining room, not when you're like this." And with her arm still around Fate's slumped shoulders, she helped her toward the door.

But then Fate stopped, and turned her head to Ichigo, and said more than one word. "Ichigo, you're… the best friend anybody ever had."

And Ichigo said nothing, but instead hugged Fate even more tightly, and then she took her through the kitchen's back door.

And Zakuro stood long in the heavy silence, and tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto the floor.


	12. Chapter 12 If This Is Love

**Chapter 12**

 **If This Is Love…**

Fate stood before the door in the darkness. Her breaths were short, her hand trembled. Three times she had reached for the doorbell button, and three times she had withdrawn her hand. She knew that this might be the end. She knew that Nanoha had been furiously angry, like nothing Fate had ever seen before. And now Nanoha had called her back – for what? Would she give Fate another chance, that they could love as before? Or would she be thrown out forever?

She feared, too, that Nanoha would demand she make a choice: either Nanoha, or Ichigo. She loved Nanoha like nothing else, like no one else she had ever known, a thousand times over. But Ichigo was her friend, and was so much like Nanoha! If her beloved Nanoha would demand that she turn her back on Ichigo forever, could she? When she needed someone, when Nanoha was gone, when all was lonely and dark, where could she go, save to Ichigo? But Nanoha hated Ichigo, and wanted her destroyed.

But she could not stand in the door forever. She had never been lacking in courage. All through her life she had faced danger, first for her mother, then for the Bureau. But she feared what she faced now far more than merely dying. She feared she would have to lose Nanoha, or have to lose Ichigo. And she could not bear losing either.

But she had to act. A fourth time, she reached out her trembling hand; and this time, she pushed the button. The wait for someone to come seemed endless…

And then the door opened, and the light streamed out; and there, framed by the light, stood Nanoha.

For many seconds the two girls stood in silence, Fate outside in the darkness. Then without a word, Nanoha stepped aside, and gestured for the blonde girl to come in. Still trembling, her breaths still short, Fate crossed the threshold and stepped into the room. There she stood, doubtfully, while Nanoha looked her over in silence.

Then finally Nanoha spoke: "We should… go up to my room – where we can be alone." Fate still did not speak, but only nodded weakly. She turned to the stairs, and followed Nanoha up to her room.

The light was on, and Fate carefully stepped in, with Nanoha holding the door for her and then following her in. There they stood in painful silence for a long time. Then finally Nanoha asked, "Fate-o… where were you?"

Fate turned away from the other girl and half-mumbled, "You… threw me out, remember?"

Nanoha reached out, took the blonde girl by her shoulder, and turned her back. "That isn't what I asked," she said, quietly but firmly. "I asked, when you left – where did you go?"

Fate did not answer. She tried once again to turn away, but Nanoha held her arm and would not let her turn. Still, no words escaped Fate's lips. And so Nanoha spoke again: "Did you go… to _her?"_

Fate still said nothing, but tried even more to turn away. But Nanoha held her tightly by the arm, and forced her to turn back yet again, this time quite harshly. And she spoke in a very hard voice: _"I asked you – did you go to HER?"_

"To… whom?" Fate responded weakly.

Nanoha's face was turning very red, and she spoke now between gritted teeth. "Don't play me for a fool! You know damned well who the hell I'm talking about… _HER._ The damned cat-girl! Yes! HER!"

Fate gasped. Nanoha _never_ used such cruel language, _never_ spoke to her like that! Yet she, who in the end had had to stand up to her mother's evil, suddenly stiffened her spine, and spoke, though her voice was weak and whiny. "Yes! I ran to her. Where else could I go on your world, when you threw me out? This isn't my world. I have nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to! Yes! I ran to her – when you drove me away!"

Rage burned in Nanoha's eyes, and she was barely keeping it in. "You could have gone… gone to Suzuka! And Alisa! They're your friends, aren't they? But no – you ran to… _her!"_

Fate shook her head. She would not turn from Nanoha any more. "Sure… You think that when you threw me out, I should run to _your_ friends? You call them my friends, but I know them only through you. To me, they're a part of my life with you. When you threw me out of your life, you threw me out of theirs. I had nowhere else to go – except to the… cat-girl. At least there, I was accepted. I wasn't thrown out."

The rage in Nanoha's heart began to boil over and come out. "So! You choose her over me, is that it? You love her instead of me!"

Fate stood in silence for several seconds, trying to keep herself from crying or screaming or simply exploding. Then the words came out very slowly, and with great pain. "I've loved you from the beginning, Nanoha! Don't accuse me of not loving you! It's you who don't love me, you who threw me out!"

"Don't you dare accuse me of making this mess!" Nanoha growled back. "You cheated on me with the cat-girl, with our enemy. And now you blame me for all this? How dare you!"

"Then you still claim to love me?" Fate squealed.

"You little fool, I've always loved you!" Nanoha answered, much too harshly. "I loved you from the beginning, when you were trying to sweep me away to grab the Jewel Seeds for your accursed mother. I loved you through all of our fights, and for all of the time since. But you never really loved me! As soon as that damned cat-girl started showing interest, you… dumped me and cheated with her."

Poor Fate slowly shook her head. "So you say you still love me? If this is love… I'm not sure I want it! But…" She stared into Nanoha's raging eyes before continuing, "… but I can't stop loving you, Nanoha. I couldn't live without you!"

Nanoha took a long, deep breath. "Really? You love me?"

Fate nodded slowly.

"You love me more than her?"

For many seconds Fate said nothing, then she stared into Nanoha's eyes. "Yes, my… love, my Nanoha. I love you more than her. I love you more than anyone or anything. But you threw me out…"

Nanoha sighed again. And after a long pause, she said in a low voice, "If you love me, prove it."

"How?" Fate asked, very doubtfully. She did not want Nanoha to demand that she destroy the cat-girl, and she thought that that was what was coming.

But Nanoha just stared into Fate's red eyes, and said in a quiet but firm voice, "If you love me… come to bed with me."

Fate's mouth fell open and she gasped, "You mean…?"

Nanoha nodded. "If this is love, Fate-o… then, show your love for me."

"If this is love…" Fate repeated. Then, after many more seconds, she looked Nanoha in the eye, and nodded.


	13. Chapter 13 The Big Moment

**Chapter 13**

 **The Big Moment**

Nanoha watched in silence as Fate continued to nod slowly. She had Fate where she wanted, now; the girl was desperate. Tonight Fate would be hers, and ever after Fate would be hers. No more would that wretched cat-girl get between them. Fate had made her decision, the right one.

Still, the blonde girl was hesitating. When she spoke, she seemed so very unsure: "Well, ah… what are we supposed to do?"

Nanoha considered just kissing her and getting on with it; but she had plans. She knew what she had liked in those videos, and she wanted to try that. And so she answered, "We should do something… to get… ah, excited, you know? I saw a movie once, and they wrestled first. That was cool." Cool indeed, she thought; she would pin Fate down and then have her way with her, and Fate would know forever that Nanoha was the one in the right, that Fate had hurt her so much.

But Fate answered very doubtfully. "Fight? Haven't we fought enough? I don't want… to fight you, Nanoha. I love…" Her voice trailed away.

Nanoha half-smiled as she shook her head. "Not fight, silly! Just wrestle, for fun, get all… excited."

For a while Fate still seemed doubtful; but then she said, with a small smile: "OK, I guess. How do we do it?"

"I suppose we should start… kneeling down," Nanoha responded. "If we started standing up, it would probably get a bit noisy downstairs. My parents, you know…" Nanoha took a breath; her heart was racing, and she wanted to get on with this. "And besides, starting on our knees will make sure that no one will get hurt by accident."

Fate's smile broadened. For the first time she looked eager for this; and she got to her knees. Nanoha looked down on her for several seconds, looked down into those glorious red eyes, eyes that had now begun to sparkle. Fate was catching on; and Nonoha would now get what she wanted. She got to her knees as well; and then Fate grabbed her.

Nanoha had it all planned: throw her lover over, get on top, pin her down, and then… But Fate was as big as Nanoha, maybe a little taller. And she had been created to fight. She was quick and strong, quicker and stronger than Nanoha. Quickly Fate twisted out of Nanoha's grasp, gained the upper hand, and began rolling Nanoha on _her_ back. This would not do, Nanoha thought. She would not let her lover win! She struggled with all her might…

And then Fate was on top of her, and Nanoha's shoulders were pinned to the carpet! Nanoha's struggles got her nowhere, and Fate was smiling! She was enjoying doing this to Nanoha! This just wasn't right!

This could not be, Nanoha thought. _She_ had to win, to put this girl in her place, to show who was in charge, to prove that Fate was wrong to touch the cat-girl! But Fate was on top, and her face was right in Nanoha's, and Nanoha could feel her lover's breath upon her face, could see those red eyes so close…

"I win," Fate's voice said, a little too loudly.

This could not be, Nanoha thought. This _must_ not be! She would not let this girl that had betrayed her do this! She… Then Fate's lips pressed against her own.

* * *

Nanoha lay upon the bed in the darkness. Next to her Fate slept, breathing softly. In the very faint light of a darkened room Nanoha thought that she could see a smile upon Fate's lips. She slept, apparently, the sleep of the just.

But Nanoha could not sleep. What the two of them had done… Fate had... _dominated_ her. Yes, that was the word. Fate had done whatever she had wanted with Nanoha, and Nanoha had done, it seemed, nothing – nothing that Fate had not chosen. Nanoha knew, vaguely, that it was she, not Fate, that had chosen to make this encounter a competition. But that did not matter. That girl next to her… had she been able to dominate the cat-girl? Or had the cat-girl taught her those things that Fate had done to her? Some had been quite pleasant, Nanoha knew… but not all.

How could they ever be equals again, now that Fate had conquered her? Had Fate proven herself the better? Had Fate proven herself right, to be able to have her way with that damned cat-girl, because she was Nanoha's better? This could not be, it must not be! What could Nanoha do? Her Fate could leave her now, because Nanoha wasn't good enough! Fate could just go with her cat-girl, or with that bloated familiar of hers. The thought of her Fate rolling around with that over-stuffed dog-girl tortured Nanoha.

The tears began to flow, and she struggled not to whimper. She did not want to wake Fate, who slept on beside her. She did not want Fate to know that she felt like this. She feared Fate would gloat.

She quietly turned away from her bed-partner, and stared into the darkness. The quiet, desperate tears leaked from her eyes and dripped down onto the pillow.

* * *

 _Author's note: No, I am not going to describe what happened between Fate's "I win" and Nanoha's tears in the darkness. This is not an M-rated_ hentai _story; and anyway, I am about as naïve and ignorant as Nanoha was before watching her_ hentai _videos: I really don't know what a_ yuri _couple might do in such a situation. So this short chapter is what you get._

 _The chapter had to be, because Nanoha's and Fate's friendship turning romantic and sexual is an important part of the overall story. But it won't get any more graphic._


	14. Chapter 14 Just Jealous?

**Chapter 14**

 **Just Jealous?**

Fate's eyes opened quite suddenly. She could tell by the light in the room that it was quite late for her to arise. She had slept long and well after her adventures the evening before – her adventures with her beloved Nanoha. And she felt absolutely wonderful about those adventures, for now she was sure that Nanoha really loved her. Now she could leave behind all of the pain and fear and darkness. She had thought herself restored and fulfilled when she had been healed by that wolf-girl, but now she knew that was not so. She had needed her Nanoha, and now she had her. She smiled as she turned onto her side to see her beloved.

But Nanoha was not there; her side of the bed was empty. Fate wondered where she was; it was not like Nanoha to be getting up early, although as the perfect little girl she had done so. Now, as a teen-ager, Nanoha liked to sleep in. But the bed was empty, and Fate wondered why.

Fate sat up in the bed, stretched, and put her feet on the floor. She would need to use the bathroom, and now was as good a time as any. So she went to the closet where she had been keeping her things, threw a robe around herself, and stepped out of the bedroom door, heading for the bathroom.

But that door was locked, and Fate guessed that Nanoha must be using it. This was rare; Fate almost always got up before Nanoha, almost always got to use the bathroom first. Not this morning, apparently; and so Fate retraced her steps to the bedroom. She thought of getting dressed, but she wanted to bathe; she normally bathed every evening, but the previous evening she had been… busy. She smiled as she thought of that.

She sat on the bed, and had to wait many minutes; but finally the bedroom door opened, and Nanoha came in. She was wearing a pink robe, and it struck Fate that the color pink did not bother her any more. Her own robe, of course, was black. In the past she would have cringed at that pink robe. But now pink made her think of the cat-girl, of Ichigo, and that to Fate was a pleasant thought. For a few seconds she indulged herself with the thought of doing with Ichigo what she had done the previous evening with Nanoha. It was a very pleasant – and exciting – thought, but by this time Fate knew enough to keep it to herself. She rose from the bed and half-whispered, "Nanoha." Then she stepped up and kissed her lover gently.

It startled Fate that at first Nanoha seemed to be surprised by the kiss; but eventually the kiss was returned. Fate smiled, then, and Nanoha returned the smile. All was good, it seemed, so Fate stepped back, and asked, "All done with the bathroom? I want to shower, too."

After a short hesitation, Nanoha responded, "All done." But as Fate started to step by her, she spoke again. "Ah, Fate-o, I was thinking, I'll be here for a while, now. Why don't we do something tonight? I was thinking that we could go to the chocolate place."

Fate was taken aback by those words. Going to the chocolate place meant the real possibility of running into Ichigo, and Nanoha hated Ichigo. So Fate thought for a second before replying, "I suppose we could. Why don't we invite Alisa and Suzuka to go along? That would really be fun."

Nanoha smiled slightly, and said, "Really, Fate, I wanted to have a date with you. Just you."

On hearing those words, a sudden smile creased Fate's lips, but it passed just as quickly, and she said, "But what about the cat-girl? She might be there. We could go somewhere else."

Nanoha looked Fate fully in the eyes. "Well, to tell you the truth, I was thinking… if you and I are going to be lovers, then I suppose I have to be able to get on with your… friends, the way you get along with mine. I'll have to make peace with the… cat-girl."

"Really?" Fate challenged her. "I thought you hated her."

Nanoha shrugged. "If I'm going to love you, well, she's a part of you, and I'll have to get along with her, one way or the other." She turned away for a second, and then spun back. "But – no kissing her any more, OK? I love you too much to share you with her."

Fate smiled now, and nodded. "OK, I kiss only you. And it's a date." Then she kissed Nanoha again, and left the room. A smile was on her face, but in her heart she remembered the thought of doing to Ichigo what she had done to Nanoha.

* * *

Momomiya Ichigo lifted one more load of dishes from a table to bus them to the kitchen. It had been a very busy evening, with a really big crowd coming in after school and another good-sized crowd at suppertime. But now it was getting later, and the crowd had really thinned out. Maybe they would let her go early tonight, she thought. Then she could get her homework done. She grimaced at that thought; maybe she would have to stay late, and she could put her homework off for another hour or two. She shrugged and stepped toward the kitchen.

Near the kitchen door, Ichigo saw Ringo standing. Ringo's mouth said nothing, but her eyes were wide as she stared at something toward the front of the room. Ichigo stopped suddenly; she did not want to look. She was sure of what the young girl was starting at; Fate must have come in again. She hesitated; but she knew she had to look. Slowly, she turned. And she stared, just as Ringo had.

Fate was there; but not only Fate. Standing next to her was the auburn-haired girl that had been with her before: her supposed lover, her Nanoha. Ichigo would never forget that face. They were whispering to each other, and taking occasional glances across the room – at Ichigo.

"I'll go wait on them, if you want me to," Ringo's voice said quietly.

Ichigo cringed. She would love to let the other girl wait on those two, she knew.

"I said, I could go…" Ringo began again, a little louder; but Ichigo shook her head, without taking her eyes off of the two girls near the door.

"No, Ringo-chan. I have to take this one. You… you keep as far away from those two as you can. Always, OK?" Ichigo said, without looking at the younger girl.

"OK," Ringo answered doubtfully.

Then Ichigo swallowed hard, and gave the tray of dishes to Ringo. She grabbed some menus from the supply beside the door. Then she pulled herself erect, squared her shoulders, and started walking toward the two girls at the door. She was trying very hard not to look frightened; but she knew that she was failing utterly.

As she approached the two girls, they both turned to face her. The auburn-haired girl just stared, but Fate smiled broadly. "Ichigo!" she said.

"Fate-o," Ichigo responded, half-choking on the name. She swallowed again, hard, and continued, "Would you ladies like… a table? We have a lot of chocolate…" Her voice died.

"Yes. A table," the auburn-haired girl said; and Ichigo led them to the same small table they had used when they had come the first time. There they sat, both looking up at Ichigo.

Ichigo laid menus on the table before the two girls, and then began turning away. But she took only one step before Fate's voice called her back. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo turned back with fear in her eyes. Her hands trembled, no matter how hard she tried to still them. She took that one step back toward the table. "Is there anything… you… want?" she muttered, half-choking on the words.

"Actually, yes, there is," the auburn-haired girl answered. "I need to talk to you." Ichigo made no answer, so the girl continued, "Fate-o says that you're her… _friend_. Is that true?"

Ichigo spoke very slowly in return. "You're… Nanoha, right?" The girl nodded, and Ichigo continued, "Fate-o says wonderful things about you, about how you saved her and befriended her when she had nothing." She was silent for a few seconds, and then went on, "Why are you here – really? Just for chocolate, or…" Her choked voice trailed away.

"You seem… frightened," Nanoha said. Ichigo thought she heard a hint of sarcasm in the girl's voice.

"Shouldn't I be?" Ichigo came back, somewhat too loudly. "You two tried to kill me."

Nanoha stared at Ichigo for several seconds before responding, "Well, Fate-o says that you're a friend of hers, now. That you and some others here healed her destroyed linker core. True?"

Ichigo stared at the girl, wondering just where the conversation was going. "Yes, that's true," she said.

"But everyone knows a linker core cannot be restored, once it's been completely destroyed," Nanoha went on.

"Then everyone's wrong," Ichigo snapped back. "Fate-o is healed. Her power is restored." Nanoha gave a sour look, but said nothing, and so Ichigo spoke again. "You still haven't told me why you're here."

Nanoha sighed, and said, "Well, if you're Fate-o's friend now, I suppose I have to get along with you, one way or the other. So – I guess I have to get to know you, and all. That's why I'm here."

"To get to know me?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes!" Fate broke in. "Now we can all be friends together!"

Ichigo stared at the two girls. "Friends? Really?"

And Nanoha responded, "Sure, I guess. You're a part of Fate-o's life now, and so I guess I'll have to make you a part of mine." She actually smiled a little when she said it.

"All friends together," Ichigo said, repeating Fate's words. "I guess I would like that. It's almost too good to be true."

"Well, I suppose I would like that, too," Nanoha said.

"Yes!" Fate said, too loudly. "We'll all be friends!"

"Then that's settled," Nanoha said with a half-smile and a sigh. Then suddenly her lips twisted, and her words did as well. "Of course – there is that little matter of you submitting to the Bureau. You'll have to do that, of course." She stared into Ichigo's eyes.

Both Ichigo and Fate stared back, their mouths hanging open. Then the both came back at the same time.

"Nanoha!" Fate gasped.

"Never!" Ichigo barked.

Nanoha paused for a second before continuing. "Really? Then you'll have to be… rendered harmless."

"Nanoha!" Fate gasped again; but the other two ignored her.

Ichigo's face was turning very red in anger, though she was still keeping her voice low. "Rendered… harmless?" she said. "Yeah, right! I suppose that means killed?"

"That's your choice," Nanoha said. Her voice was level, but her lips were twisted into a sneer.

"Nanoha!" shouted Fate, more than loud enough to be noticed by everyone in the café.

Nanoha refused to even look at her blonde companion, but simply raised her hand to silence her. She kept her eyes on Ichigo as she went on: "If you don't submit to the Bureau, you'll have to be rendered harmless."

"Get out of here!" Ichigo growled, her voice barely under control.

Nanoha ignored the command and said in her too-level voice, "I see you won't submit. I could destroy you here, but that probably would mean the death of several innocent people. The policies of the Time-Space Administration Bureau do not allow such harming of innocents."

"Get out!" Ichigo growled more loudly.

Nanoha ignored her and went on, "So… I will meet you, let's say, at that place in that park where you fought Fate-o. Let's make it tomorrow, say… nine in the morning. That'll give you one more night to think things over, and maybe come to your senses."

Ichigo just stood there, her mouth hanging open; so Nanoha continued, "You might try to run, but we will find you. We always do."

"Get out! Now!" Ichigo screamed. The few patrons who remained were getting up from their chairs and crowding toward the back of the room, away from the three girls near the front. They were not sure what was happening, but it clearly was not good.

Nanoha looked around the room. She could see what was developing; and so she stood. "Tomorrow. In that park. 9:00," she said.

Ichigo gritted her teeth. "I'll be there!" she growled, one last time.

Nanoha nodded , and then looked down, where Fate remained in her chair, tears streaming from her eyes. "Come on, Fate-o," she said, her voice still too level.

But Fate did not move. So Nanoha took her by the arm, and half-dragged Fate to her feet. Then she turned her back on Ichigo, and pulled the blonde girl toward the front door.

But before they could leave, Ichigo stopped them with her voice. "Fate-o!"

Although Nanoha kept pulling, Fate stopped, and turned back to Ichigo. And Ichigo said, strongly, "Fate-o, just remember your promise: no one hurts Ringo. No one!"

Fate did not answer with any words, but she nodded before she turned away and allowed Nanoha to drag her out through the door.

* * *

Ichigo stood for many seconds, staring at the door. It took a while for her to truly realize what had just happened. It took her longer to realize that almost certainly she would die the next morning. And the thought did go through her head: she could _submit_ , whatever that meant. But no!, she thought. That Bureau… needed to be stopped. And she would never submit!

For a second, she wondered why she should not. Was it the cat in her that could not really be tamed? Maybe, she thought. But she was a Momomiya. Her mother had been a fighter before her; and she was her mother's daughter. She would fight. As she had faced Deep Blue, so she would face that creep from the Bureau.

She looked up and saw that all of the patrons had crowded to the back. She realized that she had been much too loud, and the patrons were all frightened. And so she said, loudly, "Our apologies… to you all. Those two girls… they have made trouble here before. I had to ask them to leave." She took a deep breath, and went on, "I am sorry that this situation disturbed your evening. So… you can all go without paying tonight. Again… our deepest apologies." She bowed deeply, and then headed for the kitchen.

Several of the patrons tried to speak with her as she passed them, but she said noting. She forced her feet to move until she finally reached the kitchen door. It seemed to take forever, but she made it, and passed through the door; and it closed behind her. Then she collapsed against the wall and burst into tears.

 _Tomorrow, she would die._ She felt so completely alone, so desperately empty. She so ached for her Aoyama-kun, but he was half a world away in England. She needed his arms around her, needed his love. But he was not there. She would never see his smile again, never hear his voice. She could try to call him on her cell, but most likely his phone would be turned off – it almost always was. She would send him an email. _To say good-by._ Her heart ached more than all the world could hurt.

 _Tomorrow, she would die._ She thought of her parents; her death would hurt them so. She was an only child. She was a teenager, and things had not been smooth between her and her parents for the last year or more. She needed to make up with them, to say she was sorry for so many hurtful things, for so many careless words. But there would be no time for that now. And she could not tell them the truth. They would not let her face that Bureau whore tomorrow. And she had to face her. She would not run; she would not submit. Her tears fell from her cheek and splattered on the floor.

 _Tomorrow, she would die._ And she would never see her friends again. She wanted to say good-by to Moe and Miwa; she would do it that evening, to be sure. They, at least, would answer their phones. She could not tell them what was happening, of course; she could not tell them what was going to happen tomorrow. And what of the other girls at the Café, the other Mew Mews? Would those Bureau fiends come after them? Maybe even after Ringo? She would not be able to defend them, after nine o'clock tomorrow. Maybe, they would all die; and it would be her fault.

Her friends – her thoughts went to the guys at the Café, Ryou and Keiichiro. It crossed her mind that Ryou must not have noticed that there had been a disturbance in the dining room. He was probably in his office again, with headphones on and the music turned up too loud. Those two would miss her, she supposed. But it was their fault that she was a Mew Mew…

And she thought of herself. _Tomorrow, she would die._ She was only fourteen, and there were so many things in life she had never seen, never experienced. She felt sorry for herself, and more tears dripped down her cheeks. _So many things…_

Her thoughts returned to Shirogane again. He would be really angry that she had sent the customers home without having them pay. Her boss was a notorious cheapskate. She almost cracked the slightest smile as she thought of the tantrum he might throw when he found out. And she would have to tell him.

And so she headed for his office. _Tomorrow, she would die._ That thought kept spinning through her head. There were so many things that she had never experienced. One special one…

But she had never cheated on Aoyama-kun! Never, not once! But then she realized: that didn't matter anymore. _Tomorrow, she would die._

She didn't even knock, but just threw the door open. Her boss was sitting at his computer, as usual; and indeed, he was wearing earphones. Ichigo hesitated just inside the door. Should she approach him? She had always suppressed any feelings she had toward him. _But tomorrow, she would die._ Those feelings, those desires were welling up inside of her again. She slowly crossed the room, until she found herself standing next to him.

"Shirogane…?" she began, with a low voice. But he was absorbed in whatever was on his computer screen, and his earphones blocked her voice. So she spoke louder: "Shirogane!" But still he made no reply.

And out of the twisted anger and fear that filled her soul, she suddenly took him by the shoulder and shouted, "Shirogane!"

He was startled, and his head jerked around suddenly. Then, seeing only Ichigo, he relaxed, and removed his earphones. "Momomiya… is there something that you want?"

Her dark eyes stared into his blue ones. "Something… I want?" she said; and then suddenly she took his arm, pulled him to his feet, and threw her arms around him. He was quite a bit taller than she was, and so her right arm encircled his neck and pulled his face down to hers; and then her lips engulfed his.

She held him there, her lips pressing their passion into him, her body working so sensuously against his. It took a few seconds for the man to realize what was happening, and then for a few more he returned the kiss; but then he gently but firmly pushed her away.

"Ah, Momomiya… what's this about?" he asked. She just stared at first, so he continued, "Ah, maybe a fight with Aoyama?"

Ichigo's mouth fell open for a second, and then she closed it. She started at the floor, and then back into his eyes. And then she muttered, "No. No fight…"

"So then, again, what's this about?" Ryou asked again. "Let's face it, you never wanted my… attentions. Then suddenly you jump on me like this and come on full bore."

Ichigo stepped back away from the tall man and tried to put some words together. "I… well, I'm only 14, and there's so many things I haven't been able to do, and…"

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Ryou asked, mystified. "Hey, like you said, you're only 14. Did you think that I would… Just what do you think I am?" His voice died, and he stared into her eyes.

Ichigo stared back for a second, and then the tears began to come. She didn't want him to see those! So without another word, she turned and ran out the door, leaving the man staring after her.

Ryou shook his head, mystified. He had seen the tears start to come but had no idea why. He would ask the other girls, he thought. Maybe they would know why Ichigo was behaving as she was; but he doubted it.

* * *

Fate allowed Nanoha to lead her away from the Café's front door for a few dozen steps. Then she stopped, and no amount of pulling from Nanoha could get her to move. Nanoha turned to the blonde.

Fate opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, and she gasped out her words. "Nanoha… how could you…?"

'How could I… what?" Nonoha asked.

Fate's mouth dropped open, and then the tears began pouring from her eyes. "What? What's happened to you, Nanoha? You know what I mean! You said you would be her friend! Then you… tomorrow, you're going to kill her!"

Nanoha stared for several seconds, and then spoke with a vague air of superiority. "It's just that _some_ of us aren't traitors." She emphasized the word _some_.

"So I'm a traitor?" Fate came back. "I'm not the one who threw anybody out! The Bureau threw me out! After nearly dying for them more than once, they threw me out! Don't you call me a traitor!"

Nanoha snorted quietly. "They're the ones who send you that pension every month, in case you forgot. I'm sure you send it back, because you hate them so much?"

"I earned that pension. They owe it to me," Fate came back. "But that's not the point! You're going to kill my friend tomorrow! You came with me as a friend, and now you're going to kill her!"

Nanoha's voice also began to rise. "Your friend? Let's try your lover!" she sneered. "Is she really that good in bed, that you'd turn traitor over her?"

Fate's responded through gritted teeth. "You're just jealous! I never went to bed with her!"

"You admitted that you cheated on me with her! " Nanoha shouted back. "Or are you trying to deny that now?

"I kissed her once. That's all!" Fate answered angrily. "I didn't go to bed with her, no sex or whatever. One kiss!" She took a breath. "OK, I shouldn't have. I admit it! But that's no reason to kill her!"

Once again with the air of superiority, Nanoha lectured her lover. "She's a danger to the fabric of space-time. Don't you get that? Just like your mother! And just like your mother, she won't submit. She has to be stopped."

"She never hurt anybody with her magic, just defended her world from aliens," Fate objected. "She's no danger to anyone."

"No danger?" Nanoha came back. "She nearly killed you."

"So did you, Nanoha!" Fate objected angrily. "But remember, she almost killed me because I… because I tried to kill her first. And then she got me healed, when no one else could."

Nanoha, hearing that Ichigo had done something for Fate that she could not, ground her teeth in anger. "So that makes it OK for you to turn on the Bureau, and cheat on me?" She looked down for several seconds, her face turning very red. Then she looked up again, but choked on her words.

Fate's red eyes were ablaze with anger. "Tomorrow, in that park – I'll be there!"

"So you can help her fight me – kill me?" Nanoha gasped. "You _damned_ traitor…"

But Fate shook her head, and after several seconds, she spoke in a much lower voice. "No, Nanoha. I love you far too much for that. But be sure, if I can defend her, keep her alive somehow, if I have to, I'll shield her, or whatever…"

"You traitor!" Nanoha shrieked. "You love her instead of me! You take her side against me! You…" In her exploding anger, she choked on her words. But then words burst forth once more: "Don't you dare come to my house tonight, you stinking traitor! I'm sure _her_ bed will be warm enough for you!" And then she suddenly turned and stalked away.

"You're just jealous!' Fate shouted after her. But Nanoha did not stop.

Fate watched her until she turned a corner and was gone. And then suddenly Fate fell to her knees, and burst wildly into tears.


	15. Chapter 15 We Have to Do This

**Chapter 15**

 **We Have to Do This**

Fate looked around, but there was still no one else in sight. She remembered well just where she had fought with the cat-girl, and she had been sure to be there early – there, in that lonesome corner of that park, with the bench beside the path and the woods behind that. But neither her lover Nanoha nor her friend Ichigo were in sight – yet.

It had not been an easy night for Fate. She had not dared to go to Nanoha's house, not after the terrible fight they had had. And Nanoha had warned her to stay away. She certainly had no desire to try to stay at Ichigo's house; that would have proven Nanoha right. And she was not sure if she could rent a hotel room at her age in Nanoha's world, and she didn't want to get in trouble trying. So she had tried to sleep on a park bench, but it had been too cold; and the fears and worries churning in her heart had kept her awake. So she had gotten very little sleep.

She wondered, for a second, if the other two girls had slept at all. They had promised to fight, and if they fought, one of them would die. That is, Ichigo would die. Fate could not believe that Nanoha would lose in the end. Ichigo was fast and strong and resourceful, and had those feline instincts that would help her in a fight. But Nanoha had a far more effective weapon, if only because she would do so many things with it. Ichigo had pressed her strange, heart-shaped weapon against Fate's back, and had thus conquered her. And Ichigo's weapon gave her some real defensive strength. But Nanoha had many different magical attacks she could try, as well as a strong defense of her own; and her weapon, her Raising Heart, allowed her to strike from long range, far beyond the range of nearly all magical girls.

And Nanoha could fly. No matter how fast Ichigo was, Nanoha would be faster. That alone would almost certainly give the victory to Nanoha. Fate shook her head when she thought of that. Ichigo really had little chance to win. Would Nanoha spare the cat-girl, just as she spared Fate when they had fought their great duel, now five years before? Ichigo was basically a good girl, and Nanoha had to know that. And so Nanoha should spare her, Fate thought. But…

But Nanoha had changed. She looked like the same Nanoha, only more mature now. But her heart seemed so different. Nanoha the teen seemed so different from Nanoha the child. But maybe, Fate thought, she had changed so much that she might not show up. The child Nanoha would have certainly showed up; she always had done just what she said. But this new Nanoha might be different. After all, it was nearly 9 o'clock, and Nanoha had not arrived yet.

Fate looked around, to be sure that the other two girls were not yet in sight; and then she sighed. What had happened? Was it her fault? She felt that she must have done something really wrong. Yes, she should not have told Nanoha about kissing Ichigo. But why had her lover become so insanely jealous? And Ichigo seemed so kind, to bring Fate healing after she, Fate, had tried to kill her. So why was she so proud, that she would die before she submitted to the Bureau? Was it just the cat thing? Fate thought it had to be a lot more than that. She, after all, had submitted to the Bureau; it was not hard. Why wouldn't Ichigo? If she had, there would have been no fight, and none of the horror that she now faced would have ever touched any of them. Was it Ichigo's fault – or Fate's?

Fate felt the tears start to come. By this time she had begun to realize that something very bad had happened that night she had had her _yuri_ adventures with Nanoha. Something had changed in her lover. Now her lover deceived her, as when she had taken Fate to the chocolate place just to force this horrible fight between herself and Ichigo. Nanoha had never deceived her before. She did not understand at all what had happened, but she was becoming quite sure it was her fault. Maybe, when this was all done, Nanoha would explain to her what had happened.

But would she? Now the tears began to flow heavily. After Nanoha killed Ichigo, could Fate continue as her lover? Could she love a murderous Nanoha, driven by such vile jealousy? Fate was sure that Nanoha would kill, because that was the policy of the Bureau. But it seemed so wrong! Fate bowed her head, and her tears dripped onto the dust at her feet.

But then a voice startled her. "So you're transformed, eh? So you can join her against me?"

Fate looked up suddenly, and there was Nanoha. Her lover was fully transformed, wearing her modest, white sweet-little-girl dress that she always gained when she transformed. Though she now filled that dress out very well, it still made her look innocent; but the deadly weapon, Raising Heart, in her left hand, made her look dangerous – even deadly.

Fate swallowed hard, and turned to face the auburn-haired girl. Her right hand gripped her Bardiche tightly. "Nanoha… chan… you know… I'm not here for that."

Nanoha walked up to her. Fate was afraid, but Nanoha seemed to feel no fear at all. Her lover's blue eyes were hard, though, and she spoke. "Is the cat-girl here yet?" After Fate shook her head, she went on, "Maybe she's running, and I'll have to hunt her down. But I'll find her, you can be sure of that."

Fate shook her head again. "Nanoha, you don't have to do this."

Nanoha's eyes grew _very_ hard. "I'm not a traitor. I'll do my duty."

Fate bowed her head, and Nanoha went on, in a softer voice. "Ah, Fate-o, you wouldn't have any extra magic cartridges, would you? The Valka ones. I have only two left, after the fight on that alien planet. I should have drawn more from supply before I came here, but I was too excited about seeing you, and I forgot."

Fate's head jerked up, and she stared into the other girl's eyes. "Are you… crazy? I won't join her to fight you, but I'm not going to help destroy her!"

Nanoha scowled openly. "Traitor!" she muttered. Then she turned away from the blonde girl with the red eyes. "Well, two should be more than enough to destroy that cat-girl."

Fate choked out her response. "Ichigo! She has a name: _Ichigo!"_

"I'm not her lover, not like someone else around here." Nanoha's voice was filled with scorn.

"You're just jealous!" Fate barked, as she had the evening before.

"Better be jealous than be a slut," Nanoha responded.

Fate's face turned suddenly red with anger, but before she could blurt out her response to the insult, she noticed that Nanoha was now looking past her and she was pointing behind Fate. Fate turned, and she saw pink. Pink hair, a frilly pink minidress - and a cat's black ears and tail.

Ichigo had arrived, and she also was transformed. She was stepping out of the trees, and advancing slowly but steadily. In her right hand she held the heart-shaped thing that was her weapon.

Nanoha placed her hand on Fate's shoulder and pushed her aside, to fully face the cat-girl. She leveled her Raising Heart toward the cat-girl, but the creature in pink kept advancing. Finally the girl stopped, and Nanoha spoke. "One last chance: submit to the Bureau or… be rendered harmless."

Ichigo stood in silence for several seconds, and then she also spoke with a choked voice. "We… don't have to do this."

And Nanoha said, her voice all too level, "You're right. We don't have to do this. Just submit to the Bureau."

"Never!" Ichigo retorted.

Nanoha sighed, and said, "Then… we have to do this." Then, without taking her eyes off of her opponent, she said as an aside, "Fate-o, please get out of the line of fire."

And Fate did back up. Then for several seconds the three girls stared at each other, their eyes intense, their hearts racing.

And then Nanoha said, "Raising Heart… shooting mode."

Fate gasped as she saw the rune circles appear and start to turn around Nanoha's feet, with the smaller ones turning around her weapon. Ichigo could see them, too, and she did not gasp. She fled, dodging to her left and hurrying back toward the woods. And then Nanoha's weapon fired: once, twice. Her shots hit the cat-girl directly, but she was holding up her heart-shaped weapon, and the magical blasts flashed against it but did nothing more. So Nanoha fired again, this time with four magical blasts that spread out and hit Ichigo from four sides. But these, too, failed to penetrate Ichigo's magical defenses; they flashed against the defense field thrown up by the heart-shaped thing, and did no damage.

And now Ichigo was reaching the edge of the trees. Clearly she was trying to fight Nanoha the same way she had so successfully fought Fate. If she could get into the trees, then she might be able to take Nanoha by surprise. But Nanoha had an answer for that, too. Just as the scrambling Ichigo was passing into the trees, Nanoha pointed her Raising Heart, and said, "Bind!"

Of course, Fate thought. If she had thought of it, she could have cast a bind on Ichigo when they were fighting, immobilizing her. Defensive screens did not stop binds. Now Ichigo would be bound and helpless, and Nanoha would finish her. Nanoha, her face grim and determined, advanced now, her weapon at ready. The cat-girl would soon be "rendered harmless."

Fate felt the tears gather in her eyes. She did not want to see Ichigo die. But she did not want to attack her Nanoha in any way! She almost wanted to look away, to hide from the horror of what now would happen; but she could not make herself do so. She wept and she trembled, but she watched.

And she saw something. Off to Nanoha's right, Ichigo was spinning up into the air , with magical spirals and sparkles all around her. And Nanoha did not see her, as she confidently approached the tree line, looking for a bound and helpless cat-girl on the ground. Apparently, the magic of Ichigo's weapon – her Strawberry Bell – even blocked binds! And Nanoha had no screens up; she was defenseless against Ichigo's attack – an attack whose terrible power Fate knew only too well.

"Nanoha, look out!" Fate shouted. And Nanoha did look, and saw, at the last second, her opponent descending toward her. She threw up her hand, and a defensive rune-shield began turning. But Ichigo's Strawberry Surprise poured from her weapon, and crashed into that shield, not with one flash or two, but with innumerable flashes. And the shield began to yield as Nanoha disappeared under the avalanche of flashing magic.

Finally, the attack ended, and Ichigo settled on the ground. And Nanoha was down! Battered and wounded, she struggled to rise. Ichigo leaped into the air again, to finish her rival, and it was Nanoha that fled into the trees. The Strawberry Surprise poured in after her, and Fate heard Nanoha scream in pain.

Was this the end? Fate began raising her weapon, to protect her beloved Nanoha. But she did not have it in her to shoot Ichigo in the back, and she hesitated for several seconds, unwilling to shoot, unwilling to not shoot. And then Ichigo disappeared into the trees.

The tears were streaming from Fate's eyes. She had feared she would see Ichigo's death; now she was watching her Nanoha's destruction. She started toward the tree line, hoping somehow to get between the cat-girl and her prey. She could protect Nanoha!

But then, off to her left, a figure crawled and staggered out of the woods. It was Nanoha! She was bruised and battered, her face a mass of black marks, her white dress torn and ruined. She must have eluded her rival in the woods, just as Ichigo had once done to Fate. "Nanoha!" Fate called, and ran towards her. But her lover ignored her.

Instead she held out her now-damaged weapon, and called, weakly, between gasps: "Raising… Heart." She went down fully to her knees. "Flying… mode."

"All right," came the reply; and white-feathered wings appeared on Nanoha's short white boots. But those wings were also battered and half-broken, with many feathers ruined or missing. Still, the half-ruined girl struggled to her feet, and somehow jumped upward. Where she got the strength, Fate did not know; but those damaged little wings began flapping, and slowly, weakly, Nanoha rose up into the air, higher and higher. Fate thought, perhaps, that she was fleeing.

But then Ichigo came charging out of the woods. She had taken little damage in the fight; she was looking to finish it. But she could not see Nanoha, for she had not looked up. From side to side her head turned. Then she looked at Fate, and gasped: "Where is she?"

But Fate did not respond, and the cat-girl did not ask again. She kept turning her head from side to side, but still seeing nothing. And when her head was turned away, Fate took a glance upward. She could still see Nanoha, who was now high above, and apparently still struggling to gain altitude and escape. And then Fate looked down; and she noticed that Ichigo had seen where she was looking.

The cat-girl looked up, and saw the struggling Nanoha high above. And with grim determination she leaped high into the air, higher than Fate could have imagined; and at the peak of her leap, she spun, and Fate heard the words, one more time: _"Ribbon: Strawberry Surprise!"_ Fate saw the scintillating flash of Ichigo's attack reach upward, and then scatter and fail. The attack did not have the range to reach Nanoha. Fate's lover had escaped. She was safe.

Following the attack the cat-girl descended. Considering how high she had leaped, she landed quite gracefully; it was the cat in her, Fate knew. Then the pink-haired girl turned and stared at Fate, breathing heavily. "What now?" she gasped. "What now?"

Fate made no answer. Nanoha had been defeated, to Fate's total surprise; but Nanoha had escaped and Nanoha would be back. She would never give up, and the Bureau would not change its rules. Fate had given up all hope of ever forging a friendship between her lover and her friend. There was no answer Fate could give. She stared into the cat-girl's pink eyes in silence. And then, one last time, she looked up, to see where her lover had escaped to.

Nanoha was not escaping. She wasn't going in any direction, nor was she seemingly getting smaller. She seemed to be hanging there, high in the air. And then, with a sudden horror, Fate knew what she was doing. There were those two Valka cartridges!

Without a second thought Fate threw her arm over her head, and a rune-circle began turning. "Bardiche!" she shouted. "Extreme armor!" And the rune-circle grew brighter and denser, and turned ever more rapidly. For Fate knew what was coming, no matter what collateral damage might occur. _Starlight Breaker._

She might have heard the words, just at the very edge of her hearing. She noticed that at the last second Ichigo had divined something of what was happening, and began to throw her Strawberry Bell over her head. And then with a flash brighter than the sun, and the world around Fate exploded.


	16. Chapter 16 Mother, I Come

**Chapter 16**

 **Mother, I Come**

Fate struggled to her feet. Her Extreme Armor had saved her from the worst effects of the Starlight Breaker, and the shot was not aimed at her anyway. As she stood, Bardiche ejected two empty magic cartridges; without them, she might have been killed. She slipped two more cartridges into the weapon before she looked around.

The area around her was devastated, burned, blasted, blackened. And in the middle of the blast area, Ichigo, or what was left of Ichigo, lay still, face-down in the dirt. At first Fate was sure she was dead; but then she saw movement. Somehow, Ichigo's Strawberry Bell had protected her from the worst of the Breaker's blast. But she was finished; it was over. She was trying to get up, or at least crawl away, but she was failing. She was too hurt, too weak. Fate wondered, at first, if she was faking the injury, to draw Nanoha in close; but she was far too damaged for that. Her dress was torn, her hair mangled, her face covered with black marks. Blood from physical wounds stained her in many places and dripped onto the burned ground. She was beaten, finished.

Now Nanoha would strike once more, and Ichigo would die. For several seconds Fate awaited the killing shot, but it did not come. She looked up, wondering why; and then she saw why. Nanoha was falling from the sky, tumbling, trying to fly and arrest the fall, failing, and falling more. She had put every last bit of her fading strength into that shot, Fate realized. She had nothing left, either.

A few feet above the ground she made one last effort to fly, but her battered wings and feeble strength could not do it. It slowed her fall, though, and though she landed heavily, she was not killed, or even badly hurt. She lay there for a few seconds, gasping weakly. And then, incredibly, she raised her head, and began pointing Raising Heart at the helpless Ichigo.

The two rivals lay only about 10 meters apart, and in a few steps Fate got between them. "No, Nanoha!" she shouted. "No!" Nanoha looked at her in anger but said nothing; so Fate went on, "Nanoha! Why? You've won! It's over, Nanoha! Just go home!"

And with a groan Nanoha gasped back: "What? And leave you with… _her?_ So that's what you want! You love her… love her more than me! You traitor! Well… She'll never have you!" And, incredibly, a rune-circle, faint and feeble to be sure, but a rune-circle, began turning around Nanoha as she lay on the ground.

"No, Nanoha!" Fate cried out; but the circle kept turning. So Fate threw out her hand, and a much brighter circle began turning for her: a shield. And barely in the nick of time, too; for Nanoha's Raising Heart sent a shot toward the fallen cat-girl. But there was no strength left there, neither in Nanoha nor in Raising Heart, and the feeble shot shattered against Fate's shield, leaving only a few sparks.

"Nanoha! Stop!" Fate begged.

But Nanoha said, through clenched teeth: "You traitor! Get out of the way! " And her weapon fired again, but her shot again generated a few feeble sparks as it failed against Fate's shield.

"Nanoha…" Fate called out again.

"You traitor!" Nanoha gasped back. "You love her instead of me! You would have left me to die, but you protect her! You… _bitch!"_ Another shot from Raising Heart shattered against Fate's shield.

"No, Nanoha, no!" Fate came back, her voice pleading. "I love you Nanoha, but… she doesn't deserve to die!"

"You liar! You stinking bitch!" Nanoha screeched, and fired yet again, with no effect, against Fate's shield.

"Nanoha, don't… be so jealous!" Fate began again, with tears streaming from her eyes.

"You _damned_ traitor!" Nanoha screeched again, louder than before. "Get out of my way!"

"No, Nanoha…" Fate responded, now gasping through her tears.

"You filthy bitch!" Nanoha screamed. "Then… you can die with her, for all I care!" And she fired again, this time making a small flash against Fate's defense.

"Nanoha, please…" Fate gasped in a despairing voice.

"Shut up!" Nanoha screamed, her voice now getting stronger. "You bitch! You traitor!" A long string of vile curses poured out of her mouth. "You love her instead of me! Well, you can have the bitch! Go die with her! _I… hate… you!"_ And a stronger shot smashed into Fate's defensive rune-circle.

The horrible words crashed into Fate's soul, and crushed it. For several seconds Fate was unable to speak, and her face fell as the tears streamed from her eyes. And Nanoha shot again, and then once more, though she still could not penetrate the shield.

Then Fate's face rose and her eyes opened. She turned her head and took a look at the fallen Ichigo. The cat-girl seemed to have recovered a little, and was holding her head up while she lay on the ground. She was staring at the terrible struggle over her life. Then Fate turned, and her red eyes stared at Nanoha while the girl's curses kept screeching in her ears. And then her face fell again, and she spoke: "Bardiche… scythe mode." And her pole-arm weapon transformed into a giant scythe with a gleaming energy blade.

"Damn you, you traitor! Get out of the way! You bitch!" Nanoha was screaming, completely out of control. She kept shooting, too, with each shot getting a little stronger as her strength slowly returned.

And Fate sighed, as deep as all the world; and she took her weapon in both hands. "Oh, Nanoha!" she said, in a sad, pleading voice.

But Nanoha would not respond, but kept screaming and cursing. And Fate's voice spoke, one more desperate time: _"Nanoha…"_

And with both hands she brought the weapon down upon her lover, and there was a bright, violent flash.

Ichigo was watching all of this, and she could hardly believe what she saw. The flash blinded her momentarily, and when she could see again, she saw her tormentor lying still upon the burned ground. Her mouth was open, and her open blue eyes stared at nothing.

And Fate, with tears dripping down her cheeks onto the ground, stepped over and knelt beside her fallen lover. She felt her neck for a pulse, and then ever-so-gently closed those beautiful blue eyes. Then she bowed her head and was silent for several minutes.

"Fate-o?" Ichigo finally said. And the blonde girl looked over; and after several seconds her eyes focused on the battered cat-girl. But she said nothing. Instead, she slowly got to her feet, and once again looked down on the one she had loved.

And finally she spoke, but not to Ichigo. _"Bardiche… sword mode."_ And the weapon transformed into a long energy-sword that glowed with golden light. She stood there, looking around; and with a glance at Ichigo, she smiled a little. Then she looked once more at Nanoha's still form, and the tears began flowing again.

Then she looked up, and spoke again, but still not to Ichigo: _"Mother… Mother… I come to you, now."_ And she placed the pommel of the energy-sword upon the ground and held it by its blade, though it did not burn her hands as Ichigo thought it might.

Suddenly Ichigo saw what was happening, and with some final, hidden strength given to her, she shouted, "No! Fate-o, no!" And with desperation, she began crawling toward the blonde girl with the beautiful red eyes.

But Fate just glanced at her, and threw out her hand; and a rune-circle suddenly turned, blocking the horribly-weakened Ichigo.

"No, Fate-o!" Ichigo begged, one last time.

But Fate instead looked up, and sighed. And one last word escaped her lips: _"Mother…"_ And then she fell forward up the sword, and there was a violent flash of golden light.


	17. Epilogue: The Funeral

**Epilogue: The Funeral**

All that was left of them lay there in two small, matching urns. When reduced to ashes, they looked exactly the same; save that one urn also contained a round red jewel, and the other contained a golden medallion of a roughly triangular shape. Now that all of the nice speeches were over, they would be buried together in a single grave.

There, in the small cemetery near the Hikawa shrine, Ichigo stood alone. The other Mew Mews were there, standing with her, and yet apart. They had found Ichigo after the terrible battle, kneeling next to Fate's still form, and weeping. At first they thought that somehow Ichigo had defeated them; it took her quite a while to explain what had happened. For the most part they could not even begin to understand her pain. After all, Ichigo had survived, against great odds; why was she hurting so much? They understood that she had cared for Fate. But perhaps only Zakuro, at least a little, could even remotely grasp the feeling of failure that overwhelmed her.

Ichigo looked around at her friends; it was good that they were there, even if they could not understand her pain. At least, she was not alone, as Fate had always seemed to be. Then her eyes turned, and she looked at the people across from her. She saw Nanoha's family, standing there, weeping, holding on to each other as best they could. And several young girls that she did not know were there in a group, also crying. She did not know their names were Alisa, Suzuka, and Hayate, or where they were from. But Ichigo expected that Nanoha had had friends, and that they would be there, and weep.

And then there were several characters that Ichigo found quite strange. There were four that stood apart, two young women, a girl, and a man, dressed in some kid of fantasy-medieval outfits. Of them, only the young girl wept; yet all four of them more than occasionally would look over at Ichigo and stare with obvious hatred. Ichigo did not know what Valka knights were, but she knew enemies when she was them. She hoped she would not have to fight them.

Next to them, and yet apart, stood a strange, tall woman with a great mane of orange hair, rather grossly oversized breasts, and a ridiculously skimpy outfit that bared her midriff, showed most all of her cleavage, and finished with unnaturally tight hotpants that she wore with the button open to make herself look even more slutty. Ichigo could guess who that one was: the familiar that Fate had told her about. She stared at Ichigo with burning hatred, and did not even bother to hide it.

And near her stood a tall woman with long aqua hair, wearing a strange uniform with a bright-blue coat. Now that the speeches were done and the people had begun, slowly, to leave, the aqua-haired woman left her place and, walking forward, approached Ichigo. She stood in silence for several seconds, and then said in a low voice, "Lindy Harlaown."

Ichigo swallowed hard, and then said, barely: "Momomiya Ichigo." The older woman nodded, but said no words; and so Ichigo asked, weakly, "Well, are you the lady from that, uh, Bureau thing?"

A tiny half-smile touched the woman's lips for only a second. Then she said, "Yes, I am Admiral, commander of the starship _Asura_ – and Fate-o's legal guardian."

Ichigo stared into the woman's aqua eyes. "Well… are you guys going to kill me? I see, well… you seem to have a lot of people here that know… who I am. I didn't kill them, you have to believe that!"

The tall woman looked down and shook her head slightly. "No, cat-girl – yes, we know who you are – we aren't going to kill you. We know you didn't kill them, we know what happened." For several seconds the woman stared in silence, and then went on. "How do we know? Your little pink robot recorded the whole thing, and with our advanced technology, we hacked into it and downloaded all the data. We know why the fight happened, and we know you fought bravely and well. And we know how… the girls died." A tear formed in her left eye, and she wiped it away as she tried to control herself.

Ichigo objected, "But that Nanoha girl said that the Bureau rules require that I submit to the Bureau or be, ah… rendered harmless!"

"Don't worry about the Bureau," Lindy responded. "I've already made my report. I stated that Nanoha and Fate battled with the cat-girl and, after a hard struggle, defeated her, though both of our girls perished after the battle. Notice that every word in that report was true! So they think they are done with you."

"But what about those girls over there, those four that keep staring, or that slutty-looking familiar?" Ichigo asked.

"The four – the Valka Knights – are under my command, and they will do what I say," the woman answered. "It's a matter of honor that they do, and they will never violate that honor. As for the familiar – yes, she is dangerous, though if you nearly defeated the far more powerful Nanoha, you should have no trouble with her. But I will take her far away from here, and we will leave this world as soon as we leave this cemetery, and be many worlds away very soon. And she knows, both in her mind and in her heart, that Fate-o would never want her to hurt you, and she will not act against Fate-o's wishes. You are safe, cat-girl – at least until your next challenge comes along. And that challenge will not be from us, as far as I can see."

Ichigo muttered, "Thank you, Lindy Harlaown." Then she was silent for many seconds before continuing, "Why did this have to happen? Why does the Bureau have that stupid rule that all must submit or be destroyed? Why couldn't you people just leave us alone? We only defended our world, never hurt anyone except the aliens who tried to destroy us."

The aqua-haired woman sighed. "You do have the power to damage the fabric of space-time – magic can always do that, and your magic is very strong. But that's not really what the rule is about. The Bureau – well, after Precia Testarossa nearly did real damage to the fabric, they made a rule that they had to have control all of magic-users, so no one could do that again. Apparently they forgot that if people like that Testarossa woman would break the other laws, they would break this law, too, and their rules would protect no one." She sighed again. "And me – I handled everything so poorly. I can't seem to deal with them, those teenaged girls. You didn't know Nanoha or Fate when they were younger. Nanoha was so perfect, always ready to please, never doing anything wrong. And Fate-o was so desperate to please, to get any kind of acceptance… Now, as teens, Nanoha became so moody, and Fate so depressed, and there seemed nothing I could do for them. Yet I had to use them, for we needed their power. But they were too young, too young…" Her voice trailed off.

"And too jealous," Ichigo said. The tall woman looked at her and nodded, but said nothing, so Ichigo dared to ask, "Ah, just one thing. Will those ah… magical thingys… be buried with them?"

Admiral Lindy shook her head. "No, cat-girl. They are far too dangerous to be left lying around. Though they are not lost logia, each of them has the power of one, and anyone with a good magic detector will find them easily. And yes, I know that you used Bardiche for a while, and I know that Fate-o would have wanted you to have it. But on this, I have to say no. We will take both Bardiche and Raising Heart. Some new young girls of great power and promise will have need of them. And anyway, you don't want to be using mid-Childian magic. It is too easily detected, and if you kept using Bardiche, you would likely bring some Bureau people, or other enemies, down upon you."

Then the tall woman said no more, and Ichigo did not know what to say. So she turned to go, but the woman touched her shoulder, and turned her back. Now the woman's tears flowed freely, and she gasped her last words: "Poor Fate! She needed so much, and I couldn't… I tried, but I just couldn't… fill the hole…"

And Ichigo burst into tears also, and replied, "And I couldn't, either. And not even her… Nanoha…"

And they embraced each other, and wept.

 **THE END.**

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _Any Nanoha fans who have read this to the end might now be very bitter. That's fine; I_ _said_ _this would be a tragedy. But I feel obligated to explain what I was doing._

 _I said in the introduction that I had found parts of the Nanoha anime "creepy." In this story I take on various aspects of that "creepiness."_

 _The Bureau – One might object that the Time-Space Administration Bureau was never as rigidly stupid with its rules as I have made them. What bothered me about the Bureau in the Nanoha anime was how the Bureau first entered: Nanoha and Fate were fighting over the Jewel Seeds, and the Bureau (in the person of Chrono Harlaown) interfered and took over. And my thought was, "Who the hell do they think they are? What right do they have to those things?" Yet that kind of arrogance I find common with bureaucracies in general. And it is my long experience that bureaucracies attempt to fix problems not by punishing an evildoer, but by making rules that bind all of the innocent. So because Precia Testarossa went bad and nearly wrecked the "fabric of space-time" (whatever that is), all magic had to come under the control of the Bureau. I have seen things like that happen in my life often enough to think they are standard bureaucratic procedure. So now the Bureau, to prevent evil from happening, is punishing the innocent. Hey, it happens._

 _Nanoha and Fate – The creepiest thing in the Nanoha animes was their use of very young characters for "fan service." It would have been different if the fan service would have remained with Arf. But panty-shots of little children are beyond gross, as far as I am concerned. Pedophilia is too serious an issue to be so trifled with. Furthermore, Nanoha is far too perfect, and thinks and acts far too much like an adult for a 9-year-old (a third grader). Now in the animes, in the first two series the girls are 9 or 10, and they are friends; but in the third series they are young adults, and their relationship has apparently become romantic/sexual. When did this happen? I chose to let it happen at about the age of 14, when they have just gone through puberty; and their inability to handle the changes that come with puberty led to their downfall._

 _Nanoha leaves behind her childhood perfection – "sugar and spice and everything nice" – and becomes a moody and insanely jealous teenager. I have seen that happen so many times that I even have a name for it: I say that the girl has become the "B.G.," which stands for "B*tch Goddess of the Universe." In my experience about one out of every three girls become the B.G. Fortunately, the condition almost always lasts two years, and then the girl becomes human again. But in this story, Nanoha did not get those two years._

 _And poor Fate – maybe the real main character in my story – has a huge hole in her soul, because of the horribly abusive way she was raised by her evil "mother." She aches to have that hole filled, but no one she knows can; and now, having passed from childhood to adolescence, she desperately seeks to be healed and can find no one to do it for her. She seeks to fill the hole by becoming romantically involved with Nanoha, and then with Ichigo; and this pushes the whole thing "over the edge."_

 _As for the story being a tragedy –_

" _Tragedy" is a rather technical term. In my knowledge a tragedy is a story in which the main character fails, and usually (but not always) dies. From what I know, tragedies exist in two forms. In the original ancient Greek form, the main character is generally doomed by fate, and will fail no matter what he does. So Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is fated, due to a prophecy, to kill his father and "sleep with" his mother. When this is made known to the parents, they take the baby Oedipus out and expose him on a barren hillside to die. But the baby is found by a shepherd, who raises the kid. Eventually as an adult Oedipus does in fact, through misunderstandings and accidents, indeed kill his father and have you-know-what with his mother. There is no way he could have known that these were his parents, but when he finds out what he has done, he goes crazy and gouges his own eyes out._

 _The second form of tragedy comes out of a Christian culture. In such a culture everything becomes a morality play, so the tragic hero must fall due to a fault of his or her own that gets magnified by fate. Thus in Shakespeare's plays Othello acts too quickly and rashly, while Hamlet waits too long. Macbeth is too ambitious and listens too much to his wife, who is evil. King Lear trusts appearances too much instead of reality. Each tragic hero has a "tragic flaw" that leads to his downfall._

 _In my story each of the characters has a "tragic flaw." Nanoha has become the B.G., and is ruled by her jealousy. Fate's flaw is the huge hole in her soul left by her horrible upbringing, and her craving to fill it. And Ichigo, too, has her flaw – she cannot control the cat within her, who will walk by himself and never be tamed. And all of these flaws come together, with tragic results._

 _And none of it might ever have happened if the creators of the original Nanoha animes had had the decency to not treat little girls as sex objects._

 _\- tgwWhale_


End file.
